Back Story
by HellHathPie986
Summary: It seems his title as "The Surgeon of Death" is nothing less than an understatement when it comes to his past work experience, but now Law has to choose between going against Doflamingo's orders to save his crew or spare his own life. My theory on Trafalgar Law's past and his connections to Doflamingo. Mild yaoi for personality purposes only, not wild fangirl fantasies.
1. Mission

The ground collided with his face faster each time he was thrown to the floor, and each time it brought more pain to every corner of his body. Trafalgar Law grimaced as he felt the fresh warm blood trickle from his nose and drip to the ground, forming another small puddle to go along with the several others splattered variously around him. Yet again he tried to get up by pushing himself onto his elbows and yet again he was picked up only to be thrown to the ground. This time he landed on his back with his head smacking into the floor below him and making a very unpleasant sound. His ears rang and his eyes burned, but he still refused to give up.

He couldn't give up.

Law spat the blood from his mouth and wiped his jaw, breathing heavily after the ass-kicking he had just received from the Shichibukai standing in front of him. But it seemed Don Quixote Doflamingo was far from through.

"By the look in you eyes it seems your mind hasn't been changed. You really have become nothing more than a devoted fool." Cackling laughter erupted from the feather clad man looming over him. Law only glared in return and began trying to think of a way to get out of this, after all, it wouldn't be any time soon that he'd get a few moments to think to himself. But there was no answer, no matter how much he racked his brain there was only ever one conclusion to the mess he had gotten himself into and it was no where near pleasant.

Law pushed himself up in an attempt to sit normally only to be thrown back down to the ground with a foot planted firmly on his chest. He involuntarily let out a cry as he felt several ribs crack under the pressure. White lights streaked across his vision but refused to take him away to a place less cruel.

If there was a God, he was laughing.

Law cracked open his eyes to see Doflamingo a foot or two from his face, giving him his usual Cheshire cat smile. Hatred over came the pirate's every thought as he stared into the colored shades before him. Without giving it a second thought, the rookie spat a mixture of blood and saliva into Doflamingo's face.

It took him all but three seconds to realize the shit he had _now_ gotten himself into. The foot was removed from his chest only to be replaced with a fist in his face. Law realized soon after that he was being suspended in the air by the collar of his shirt just before his face started to get rearranged. After a while he began slipping in and out of consciousness, wondering if all of this could possibly be some horrible nightmare…? The rookie was jarred from his hopes as he felt his body collide with the ground again and a foot connect briefly with his stomach. Law coughed and gasped, trying to get his lungs to fill with air again.

Snickering came from above him.

"You're a sick son of a bitch." The pirate rookie managed to wheeze out. A violent kick connected with his back, causing him to stiffen from the pain.

"And don't you ever forget it." Doflamingo replied. The clicking of the Shichibukai's shoes could be heard reverberating off of the empty walls before he sank into the only piece of furniture there. It had been almost a half hour since Law had been taken in that room and he regretted every moment he hadn't used to make up some excuse he needed in order to leave.

The rookie coughed again, relieving more blood from his lungs as he tried pushing himself up. He managed to get to his knees, sitting on them as if he was still some school boy in front of his teacher.

_Man does this bring back some shitty memories…_

Law's attention was brought back to the man in front of him as he stood gracefully and began walking around the pirate rookie before him. The even clicks of the heal-toe steps seemed to be drilling their way through Law's ears as the older man began leaving the younger's peripheral vision until Doflamingo stopped completely behind him. Law prepared for what was to come, knowing full well that what happened next was, without a doubt, to be far worse than the physical torture he had just endured.

Doflamingo slowly lowered himself to his knees, snickering low and maliciously as he savored the anxiety coming from the young man in front of him. He grinned slowly and deliberately, making sure the sounds of his lips sliding over his teeth were audible enough for Law to hear.

Doflamingo leaned in close to the rookie before him, letting his mouth stop just next to Law's right ear. He spoke.

"You're making it sound as if I'm giving you a choice, my dear boy." A chuckle snuck out between his teeth. Law swallowed what little saliva he had left in his mouth.

"But you're forgetting one thing, Trafalgar Law," his name was said with such hatred and such anger that he could practically feel it pierce and twist in his heart. Law clenched his fists, refusing to let a single expression out on his face, which only amused the Shichibukai more as he continued.

"I own you."

Law didn't get a chance to react before a large hand engulfed his right shoulder while the other snaked around his waist. A gasp mixed with both surprise and anger betrayed him by letting itself out, causing the elder to only grin wider in satisfaction. Doflamingo threw his head back and cackled with laughter, pulling the rookie flush against his chest as it undulated from his hysterics. Law glared up at the Shichibukai, no longer giving a damn about what was going on. As Doflamingo calmed down he caught sight of the younger's fierce gaze.

"Now, there's no reason for that scary look! After all, what would your mother say?" He burst into a loud, obnoxious laugh once again causing Law to only get angrier. Without a single regard for his situation, the younger pirate swiftly freed one of his arms and jammed his elbow into Doflamingo's ribcage. A grunt was heard from the Shichibukai as his laughing died down.

"No one could ever give me enough reason to go through with your twisted scheme." Law paused for a moment, expecting to be physically cut off. When he wasn't, he continued.

"Not a single person I know and most certainly not you." He threatened; making sure Doflamingo knew he wasn't scared so easily like the man's other prey.

A smile cracked across his face. Doflamingo removed the hand he had on Law's shoulder and used it to wrap around the younger's head. His thumb rested on the right side of Law's Adam's apple while his fingers clenched around his left ear.

Law grimaced at the situation he got himself into once again and tried to inch away from the man behind him. A slow chuckle emanated from Doflamingo.

Law was pulled closer into the man behind him as his head was turned slightly.

Something warm and slick traced its way from his jaw to his temple, leaving a cold trail behind. Law's eyes widen as that scene was unwillingly burned into his memories.

"It seems I wasn't very clear," the grip on the rookie's neck tightened and he squirmed in his captor's grasp; "if I tell you to kill everyone aboard your ship," Doflamingo held Law's head against his own as he venomously seethed his next words directly into the younger's ear; "you are expected to do it."

Law's breath caught. He sat for a moment, mulling over the orders he'd just been given for the second time. The sick bastard had informed him he needed to become a Shichibukai himself for the rest of his plan to go through, and the best way to do that was to cut out the hearts of his own crew and several high bounties to prove to the government his loyalty.

And by "best" it was the only offer acceptable by Doflamingo.

Law jerked his head away and glared as menacingly as possible.

"Not a chance in hell."

Silence filled the room, not even the sounds of breathing could be heard. Doflamingo looked down at the fiery eyes before him and took into account their intensity. For a moment Law thought he had actually won, but his false victory was short lived when the silence was suddenly cut by a single, small laugh.

Then another.

And another.

Soon Doflamingo was back to his usual roaring hysterics. With one swift movement, he forced Law to stand and shoved him into his chair. Law sat dazed for a moment wondering what exactly was going on when a familiar hand clamped down on his neck. The rookie pirate looked up to see an expression of pure insanity on the Shichibukai's face. Doflamingo's smile was carving into his face at impossible angles, giving even the most terrifying of sea kings a run for their money. The elder leaned down, calming his laugh to nothing more than a dry chuckle before continuing.

"Then it seems I'll have to start things off." Law narrowed his eyes as another bout of giggles came from the Shichibukai.

"Let me see if I can remember this correctly." He turned his gaze away and tapped his fingers of his free hand on his chin.

"What was that bear's name again…?" Doflamingo had thoughtfully asked himself. All of the color drained from Law's face.

"Ah, that's right," the older man stated, returning his full attention to the young man in front of him. A sinister scowl came over his features.

"Bepo."

The pirate lost it; he lunged for the older man in front of him only to be knocked back and have his neck gripped tighter. Law grabbed the Shichibukai's hands in a vain attempt to get free but accomplished nothing of the sort. Asphyxiation began taking place and only just before he lost all feeling in his body was Law let go of. He collapsed against the back of the chair, drinking in oxygen like there was not enough to go around.

Doflamingo stood, giving a small chuckle and leaning in close to one of Law's ears.

"I expect it to be done within the week. Is that understood?" Law glanced at the man standing next to him, his breathing returning to normal.

Trafalgar Law nodded once.

Doflamingo stood, smirking to himself before turning and leaving. The door shut behind him leaving Law in the dim light, the only thing assuring him of his decision being that what ever he does himself is mercy on his crew compared to Doflamingo.

~0~

so, this has been bothering me to no end. if Law is perfectly fine with picking up anyone and putting them on his crew, why are they suddenly just gone? the marines mention Law cut out the hearts of 100 pirates but never specified which ones and it's pretty doubtful he'd be allowed to run around with a permanent crew especially after helping Luffy escape execution and alleged assault of the teryuubito so the hearts of any 100 guys wouldnt suffice too well. what if whenever Law sees luffy's crew happy he's reminded of the friends he betrayed and feels guilty? (thus giving us all those adorable expressions i might add) and, not just anyone would be accepted as a shichibukai after so many betrayals. Law is also probably looking to get rid of doflamingo and is probably seeking help from the straw hats (by extortion now, not friendship. my oh my, his story is sounding like the females' of this anime :3)  
my theory will probably turn out wrong, buy for the next possible three months or more this shall be the peak of my curiosity.  
and i also hope it's wrong ;A; this theory is just cruel...


	2. Encounters

Trafalgar Law had sat in the empty room for ten minutes before he allowed himself to even process anything that had just happened to him. An exasperated sigh escaped from his lips as he wondered for the umpteenth time how he had managed to royally screw up his life so badly.

But he knew the answer; right from the moment he first made the fateful choice to join Doflamingo and his insane ways, he knew what he could be getting himself into. Law sat up, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands. Another sigh curled around his teeth, leaving slower than the other as the pirate rookie attempted to control his anger.

They were in danger, all of their lives were on the line and it was all his fault. Law tightened the grip on his head and welcomed the constricting pressure as a headache caused him to forget about his troubles, if only for a moment.

The pirate captain suddenly let go, stood up and headed for the door. He stopped just before reaching the entrance and in one final moment of rage Law crashed his right fist into a wall, perfectly breaking through a support beam and opening a hole to the next room. He opened the door and snatched his nodachi sword from the stunned guard that was assigned to hold onto it until Law was allowed to leave. The man just stood there, watching as the pirate captain headed down the hallway.

~0~

Law sat at a small table in the middle of a diner. He and his crew were still on Shabondy Archipelago waiting for the right opportunity to head into the new world, but it seemed now all of that was to be left as a dream and nothing more.

_One week._ He thought to himself as he took another sip from his coffee cup. Law continued to think of some way to end all of this without having to follow through with Doflamingo's plans, but no matter which route he took it always wound back to the Shichibukai hunting him down and torturing his crew until he was on his knees, begging for the screams to stop and pleading for the nightmare to be over.

It had happened before, after all.

Law gave a sour frown and placed the empty cup on the table in front of him. He was never one for reminiscing; the memories always brought back pain, whether it was remembering hard times during happy ones or happy memories during bad times. He had always shut them out and preferred to look towards the future because no matter how bleak it seemed, it was still there. But for some reason, they were nagging at him and forcing their way into his conscious mind.

-Flashback-

It was summer time, warm and peaceful in his small home town. Seven year old Trafalgar Law ran down the main highway, dodging carts and wagons as he sped off to his home, eager to show his mom the book he had just bought. The title was "On the Fabric of the Human Body" and was a promising read for the would-be surgeon. Ever since he had learned to read a few years back he took every spare moment to shove his nose in a book, but in the last few months he had taken a liking to medical and anatomical books. Law burst through the front door and ran off to his mom to boast about his find.

"Mom!" The boy eagerly called through the house. He opened the door to his parents' room, he scoured the kitchen, the living room, and he even checked the bathroom but couldn't find her anywhere. Law scratched his head and decided she might be in town. With new found energy he ran out of the house again and headed down the road back to town.

When he arrived just outside there was a noticeable crowd near the ship yard. The boy felt a pit in his stomach as an ominous feeling came into his heart. His father worked there, doing odd jobs ranging from loading ships to repairing them, and Law knew just about all of the guys down there. What if one of them was hurt? The boy ran at full speed, clutching the large book to his chest as he approached. He used his height to his advantage and squeezed through the people, picking his way to the front. When he got there he was surprised at what he saw.

A strangely dressed man lay on the ground, not moving, with a few others surrounding him including the town doctor. Law cocked his head and caught a few words from the men in front of him.

"I don't know… his temperature rises every day… just fell over… no wounds…" Law drew his attention back to the doctor who was now standing up and shaking his head after the explanation. The boy narrowed his eyes and decided to head over. The men were too busy talking to notice him sneaking up to the sick man. Law knelt down, placing his book next to him in order to see what he could do. He mentally recited initial steps when treating others he read not too long ago in a different book when the man's eyes began to flutter open. The boy looked down at the stranger, caught in the act of helping him out. Law swallowed and decided the best thing to do was to question him.

"Where are you hurt?" He asked. The man stared for a moment before glaring and shoving the kid out of his way. He began sitting up when one of the men finally noticed.

"Sir! You're awake! You were leaving the ship when you suddenly fell over! With the ship's doctor dead we thought it best to…" The man's arm shot out, his fingers wrapping around his subordinate's neck. Law watched in horror as the sick man strangled the other one. After a few desperate pleads and choking noises the boy couldn't take it anymore. He lunged for the stranger's hand and latched on, trying to pry his fingers from the other guy's neck.

Suddenly, Law felt a small lump on the stranger's hand. He looked down and noticed it was a mosquito bite. He looked at the fingers and noticed a few had rings with tan lines that were a little too crisp to have been there long.

It hit him; fever, fatigue, mosquito bite, a possible trip to the tropics… it all made sense! But Law didn't get to share his revelation as he was thrown into a pile of cargo off to the side.

"Fuckin' brat." The stranger said, trying to stand again. The boy sat up and rubbed his head. He was thankful for the thick hat he always wore but turned his attention to matters more critical at hand.

"Wait!" He called out as he noticed the men leaving. The sick one stopped and turned his head, fever and fatigue obvious in his expression. Law took another deep breath and plucked up the rest of his courage, after all, he had a patient.

"It's malaria!" Law announced. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the doctor stiffen. He turned to him and noticed his expression speaking for itself, asking _why didn't I think of that?_ Law smirked a bit and stood up, jogging over to the man. The man had also noticed the doctor and was now looking down at the kid in front of him, perplexed. Law stopped in front of him and continued.

"Our hospital is small, but it should have the supplies to treat you." The boy bravely stated. The man in front of him just stared down in stunned silence. The other man, who had nearly been strangled to death, abruptly stepped in between the two.

"What the hell does a brat like you know?! Our captain doesn't need third rate tips from a short…" The man was cut off once again as his captain landed a casual fist in his face and sent him flying into the same cargo Law had just crawled out of. The boy just watched, shocked that he was talking to a person like… this. But the man broke through his thoughts.

"Can you treat it?" He asked flatly. Law turned back to him and just blinked before stuttering out his answer and shyly looking away.

"Uh, well… the doctor over there should be able to, I mean I've never…"

"I asked can _you_ treat it."

Law looked up at the man and searched his expression for what he meant. His face lost a bit of color when he realized what he was being asked. The man was completely serious; it seemed he wanted the boy to do it. Law thought for a moment, remembering everything he had read about the disease and blood work before confidently nodding his head. The captain let a cocky grin spread out on his face before walking back towards his ship.

"Follow me. I won't have you work in the office of that shitty doctor over there." It took a moment for the boy to realize what was said and he instantly ran after the man, picking up his book on the way and following the man to the ship's infirmary.

~0~

AN: doflamingo: there's candy in here too, my boy.  
chibi law: golly gee mister! i sure do love candy!  
LOL just kidding ;) more on the way~

Enjoy the chapter? Tell me about you favorite part!


	3. Unfairness

The captain of the Heart Pirates casually strolled down the Archipelago. It had been a few months since the incident with the Straw Hats and things had died down to their normal buzz. Law took in a deep breath of fresh air, savoring the clear scent as he headed in no specific direction. The pirate tried to forget about his worries for the time being, opting to dive into the regions of his mind he normally didn't travel to.

His situation was so similar to back then it was down right annoying.

-Flashback-

The seven year old stood in a daze, trying to soak in every word he was just told and comprehend their meaning. The boy stared up in awe at the pirate captain in front of him, mouth agape and breathing hitched, only when he felt the swaying motion did he realize how much oxygen he was neglecting to take in. Doflamingo was crouching on a bench on the dock and smiling wickedly, awaiting an answer from the boy in front of him. Law tried his best to form words but only managed to sound like a fish out of water, desperate for a hospitable place to breathe. Only when the captain smacked him in the face in order to snap out of it did the boy finally form a working sentence in his mind. He was about to blurt it out and seal his fate when Law heard a familiar voice calling his name. He turned around and found his mother standing several feet behind him.

She stood there with her arms crossed and expression tough, right away he got her message. After his parents had found out he treated a pirate, let alone on the stranger's ship, they forbade him from ever speaking to the guy again. Law's spirit sank as he gave a half hearted smile to the man in front of him then ran off to his mother. Doflamingo let a curious look cross his face but settled for watching him leave.

Law approached his mother and followed her at her side as she turned and began to leave. The boy knew he had done something wrong and chose to look at the ground, waiting for his punishment.

"Your father was very clear when he said never to talk to that man again." His mother commented sternly. Law's shoulders dropped as the lecture went on.

"We know you were only trying to help, but that man is a pirate and a very notorious one at that. What would we do if you had gotten hurt?" She chided. Law looked up at his mother with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry mom, he was sick. I had to help! And just now, he asked me to be the doctor on his ship! Me! Traveling the world…" The boy was cut off from his fantasies when his mother stopped and turned to him.

"Absolutely not! Trafalgar Law, if this man ever gets near you to fill your head with nonsense again, so help me I will…"

"But that's not fair! I'll never get a chance like this again! You should see his lab, it's amazing!" Law wasn't entirely sure he wanted to leave his family and town behind, but he also didn't like it when doors of opportunities were closed in his face by others.

"Drop it Law!" His mother warned. "I don't want to hear another word of this foolishness." His mother continued walking, expecting her son to follow. He eventually did, but ran right by her. She didn't bother calling after him, whenever he got like this he always ran straight to his room no matter where he was coming from.

Law was soon home and ran into his room, jumping onto his bed with a few tears of frustration rolling down his cheeks. He had come to the conclusion that he didn't want to join Doflamingo's crew but he also wanted to be recognized that even at seven years old he was a better doctor than the one in his village. The boy wiped his eyes and decided to wait for his mother and apologize for misleading her.

An hour soon passed and his mother was no where near the house. Law sat in puzzlement, wondering what was taking her so long.

_Maybe she was buying groceries and needs help carrying them back…?_ He thought to himself. The boy swung his legs over his bed and dashed out of the house, heading to town.

When he arrived he looked in the usual shops, asking the owners if they had seen her. Every one of them shook their heads and gave their apologies. Law started to panic and wondered if maybe she had gone to give Doflamingo a piece of her mind.

The thought caused his heart to skip a beat. Law ran as fast as he could to the docks, hoping his mother wasn't there lecturing the pirate, because she could get pretty scary like that sometimes.

Law rounded a bend and stopped, looking for his mom in the deserted streets.

Wait, deserted?

_That's funny, _he thought to himself, _at this time there's always bustling going on here._

His eyes finally picked up a familiar figure, it was Doflamingo.

A bit of relief came to the boy, thinking maybe the pirate could tell him if his mom was still around. Law began running over to him and noticed a few things odd about the scene; the man's back was turned and he was holding something rather large in the air as if inspecting it. Another object lay on the ground as well. As Law came closer, realization suddenly struck him. The boy slowed down, stopping just a few dozen feet from the pirate and staring a hole through his back out of shear horror.

Dangling from the man's grasp was his father, limp as if he was just some sack of potatoes. Blood dripped from his fingers and landed in a large puddle near Doflamingo's feet. Law couldn't see his face, but the lack of resistance in any other part of his body alluded to him being unconscious.

Or worse, dead.

A knot tightened in the boy's stomach, but for some reason he couldn't look away. When he tried to, his vision only fell onto his mother. She lay still on the ground; her beautiful hair matted with blood and leaving a pool of it around her head.

She didn't move either, not even did her chest rise or fall from breathing.

The pirate had heard the boy's foot steps and slowly turned to face him, dropping the man in his grasp to the floor. Law's father landed in a heap next to his mother, falling over himself until gravity had finished its work, and still neither one moved.

The boy didn't dare turn away, fear tightening up every muscle in his body.

Chuckling came from the man standing over their bodies. He took a few steps from them, as if giving Law enough room to admire his work. All the boy could do was stare while trying his best to form even a few words on his tongue. His mind was blank; thoughts ran in and left even faster than he was able to entertain them. The boy began breathing harder, pumping oxygen in and out in order to properly think things through.

Anger suddenly flooded his mind and he gave up on questions, opting to turn to the perpetrator and glare as hard as he could. Law was just about to shout and scream, demand an explanation and then do his best to put the man in an even worse condition than his parents when Doflamingo burst into laughter.

The man clutched his stomach with one hand and his face with the other, throwing his head back and howling with laughter. Law had had enough; he charged at the pirate, fist raised and prepared for a fight. He had no experience in the subject and most certainly didn't measure up to the captain of a pirate ship standing in front of him, but he didn't care. All that was on his mind was revenge for what the guy had done to his parents. But no matter how noble his motives, the kid didn't even get within a few feet of Doflamingo before his arm was twisted behind his back and his face driven into the boards beneath him.

The pirate snickered triumphantly.

"You've got guts kid, I'll give you that. More than that cowardly old man over there could ever hope for." At those words, Law struggled to get free but wound up with his face being ground deeper into the floor. He let out a growl of anger only to be cut off by another burst of laughter.

"You just keep getting better and better! To think those selfish parents of yours would want to keep you for themselves! " He laughed again, letting go of the boy for a moment in order to wrap an arm around his small waist, pulling him up to stand and holding Law against himself. Doflamingo enclosed the kid's jaw in his other hand and forced his head to turn and look at his parents still lying on the dock.

"It angered me when that woman told you to never see me again. So a thought came to my mind," the pirate snickered, leaning in closer to whisper his revelation right in the boy's ear, "if she were gone, you wouldn't have to listen to her!" Doflamingo burst into laughter again, throwing his head back with demented joy.

Law sucked in a deep breath, trying his best to hold back the tears. It wasn't fair; all he did was save someone's life! And now he was being repaid like this? Law grabbed the arm around his waist and dug his nails as hard as he could into the flesh, but to no avail. The grip on his jaw tightened also and Law took that as a hint to knock it off. He obliged easily, but the pressure stayed. Doflamingo continued his story.

"The bastard there then thought it would be funny and attacked me, yelling shit about hurting his family. I made sure to take my time and enjoy beating him." Law couldn't take it any more, the tears over flowed and ran down his cheeks, also spilling over the pirate's hand.

"Come to think of it, if you had come a minute or two earlier, he might still be alive!" Doflamingo found real enjoyment out of this; he cackled with laughter and removed his hand from the boy's jaw, placing it on his little head and ruffling his hat and the hair beneath it. The pirate captain stood up, hauling Law up with him and wrapping his fingers around the boy's chin once again, moving it so he was forced to look at something else. Through his blurry vision, Trafalgar Law could see a bunch of men pouring barrels of liquid around the outside of the shops up and down the water front. His tears surged even harder when the smell reached his nose.

Gasoline. And in no short supply.

Doflamingo snickered to himself as one of his men approached him with a torch. The captain gladly took it and chucked it as hard as he could. Time seemed to slow down as the burning stick sailed through the air, as if mocking the boy and rubbing it in his face that he was powerless to do anything. The captain had aimed perfectly and set the town ablaze as soon as the fire made contact with the combustible liquid. Law looked on in horror, helpless to stop the flames engulfing his home town. But he didn't give up; he thrust around, screamed as loud as he could and threw sloppy attacks at the man behind him, demanding for all of this to stop and cursing Doflamingo for his existence.

Law found himself on the ground again, his cheek burning from the sudden strike to his face. He was then picked up by the scruff of his shirt and flung over the captain's shoulder to be carried off to the ship while screams of agony and terror from the town's people rang over the burning wood and filled his ears.


	4. Lifestyle

-Continued Flashback-

His head hurt, his arms were bruised, his legs shook and his heart ached. No matter how hard the boy had resisted, no matter how many times he had refused the pirate captain's invitations and no matter how many times he banged on the door to his room and yelled to be let out reality was cruel and simple; there was no way off of this ship and no way to turn back the hands of time.

Law curled up into a ball on his bed, opting to give his throbbing hands and hoarse voice time to rest before continuing his poorly executed escape plans.

His family was dead, his friends were likely dead, and his home town was burnt to the ground.

That about summed his life up at the moment.

Trafalgar Law sighed deeply, trying to figure out some bright side to his situation. His room was very large, much bigger than his own back home and filled with many books on the study of diseases and human anatomy. The furniture looked imported from far away countries and the paintings were bright and cheerful. His room also connected to another which was filled with chemical testing equipment and stocked with many different minerals and herbs. He hadn't checked it out any further than wandering through to look for an escape route though. Law sat up, deciding it was a better use of his time to see what the room had to offer than sitting around and feeling sorry for himself. He stood up and walked over.

The lab was as big as his new room, if not a little larger. Glass cabinets lined three of the walls and Law could see that every single one of them had assorted sizes of jars filled with various chemicals lining them. The last wall had different tools hung on it, ranging from hack saws to stethoscopes to surgical knives and even cases of needles. There was an island counter made of granite in the center with a few strange machines sitting on it and four sinks. Underneath the counter was drawers but the boy couldn't see the contents from just looking at them. He walked over and opened one of them, revealing bandages and antiseptic.

Law realized that in his attempts to break out of his room he had broken at least three fingers and gained a couple new scratches, not to mention when Doflamingo had smashed his face into the ground several hours ago. Law turned to use the glass cabinets as a mirror and, sure enough, there was a few more scratches lining his face. The young doctor grabbed some roles of bandages, a bottle of antiseptic and a container of cotton balls, setting them on the counter. He then pulled out a stool, climbed up and set to work.

Something about treating wounds and bandaging them up made the boy feel calmer. He had always taken care of stray animals that were injured. Even if there wasn't a reward in the end he didn't care, Law still lent a helping hand. He focused on the job in front of him, ignoring anything other than his thoughts and neglecting to watch his surroundings, so when a voice called out to the boy he jumped.

"It seems this room is to your liking." Law quickly turned and faced the captain in front of him, not able to think of anything to say. The man just chuckled and stepped in through the door, allowing a man Law didn't recognize to enter. Doflamingo grinned widely and continued.

"Trafalgar Law, meet Vergo. He's here to teach you how to grow up and become big and strong." The pirate snickered at his own line. Law sat in confusion.

_But don't I just drink milk and get plenty of sleep for that?_ He wondered to himself.

Vergo approached the kid and looked him up and down. Law wasn't sure what to do so he sat and waited. A scowl came over the man's features and he turned to his captain.

"Is this some kind of joke? The kid will snap in two before I can get to anything useful." He crossed his arms, concluding that he was completely against whatever it was his captain was thinking. Doflamingo's grin widened and he strolled over to the boy, placing his hand on the kid's shoulder before turning and replying to his subordinate.

"He's got a lot more spunk than he's letting on, and if he dies in the process then destiny brought him aboard the wrong ship." Doflamingo cackled with laughter, removing his hand from Law's shoulder and placing it on the boy's hat, tousling it around and pushing it down over the kid's eyes. Law pushed it back up and shot the captain a fierce glare. It was useless attacking the man next to him now though, not with his current strength.

A moment of silence passed before Vergo also began to approach the boy. Law turned his attention back to him and sent a glare of agitation at the man in front of him.

Suddenly, Law was being lifted from his seat on the stool. The boy let out a surprised yelp and realized Vergo had grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and was now hauling him away. Law began kicking and demanding to be let go of, sending every curse word he had ever learned at the man carrying him. Vergo chuckled and turned back to Doflamingo, understanding what the man had been talking about earlier.

"I'll try my best, but it's not my fault if he gets killed." He plainly stated. Doflamingo snickered at the announcement but nodded in approval. Law was getting angry, he was the subject of their conversation yet they were completely ignoring him!

"What are you going to do with me?!" The boy demanded, calming the tantrum he had just been throwing a moment ago. Vergo let a small smirk cross his features, leaving through the doors and heading down the hallway.

"You're going to learn how to fight."

~0~

AN: i dont know why but the thing that makes me most happy about this story is that people from every continent (excluding antarctica) are reading it :D im thankful for the likes and definitely for the reviews but something about seeing around 30 different countries reading "Back Story" from all over the world makes me really happy :) thank you all for reading and please enjoy!


	5. Moving on

no, i did not forget Law's birthday in this, he is now 8.

~0~

-Continued Flashback-

Five months had passed since Law first arrived on Doflamingo's ship and not a single day could be proven to be easy. Sure, some were more comparatively simpler to go through than others, but between Vergo beating the ever living crap out of him and the rest of the crew's constant taunts of his height and age it was no picnic. Why they took their frustrations out on an eight year old, Law would never be able to understand but he had eventually figured out that all of the harassment was either directly or indirectly related to a man named Veasel. That guy also happened to be the same one who had yelled at the boy back at his home town and accused him of being an incompetent child.

And now that child was the doctor of the ship. Fancy that.

Law strolled down the hallway towards his room with a tray of food in his hands for lunch. The cafeteria was way too noisy for his liking and he wanted to savor his meal in peace, especially since the ship had just stopped in port a few days ago and everything was still fresh. Law rounded the last corner before coming to his room and finding a surprise waiting for him. Law stopped in his tracks; leaning against his door frame was none other than Veasel.

The boy scowled but continued on his way, ignoring the man as he came to his door and reached out to grab the handle. Just as Law was about to turn it, a hand plopped down on his head.

"Where do you think you're going, small fry?" Veasel asked low and dangerously. Law let out a small sigh and turned the handle, not even bothering to deal with the oaf next to him. He then tried to take a step through the open door but was forced to stay where he was, unable to move foreword.

The situation was becoming very annoying.

An angry growl came from the man and Law was steered to stand directly in front of Veasel. The younger's head was tilted up to meet the fierce glare of the pirate. The boy stared back indifferently; unimpressed by Veasel and just wishing he could go into his room.

This only added fuel to the fire.

The pirate extended a hand and smacked Law's lunch tray out of his hands. The contents went tumbling to the floor with Law only able to stare in dismay. The elder then grabbed a fistful of the boy's shirt and hauled him into the air. Law slowly turned his attention back to the oaf with nothing more than a bored scowl on his face, deeming the man as an unworthy adversary in a fight but definitely in need of a decent beat down. A huff of agitation came from Veasel.

"You've got some balls for an eight year old punk." The man commented through gritted teeth, "But you screwed up kid, you're missing one important detail." Veasel snickered slowly, thinking he'd get some reaction out of the kid. When he didn't, he just continued; "You messed with the big fish," Veasel pulled the kid closer to his face so that their noses were almost touching, "and if you don't recall, my bounty is worth one million."

Law furrowed his brows wondering why he had been interrupted for something as petty as that. The boy was tired of this game and wanted to be left alone.

"Put me down." Law ground out. A moment passed and the man chuckled, glaring into the kid's eyes before obliging. Just as Law was set down Veasel made a fist and positioned it just perfectly. Less than a second later and it connected with the boy's stomach, causing him to gasp from the sudden attack. Veasel smirked, triumphant over his assault, but his victory was short lived as Law shot a hand out a grabbed the man's arm. Law yanked on it with all of his strength, extending a leg out to connect with Veasel's shin and successfully sending the man to the ground. Law stayed where he was, glaring at the pirate as he started to get up again.

"You're nothing." Law mockingly said to the bully kneeling on the ground. The man angrily turned to the boy, glaring daggers at him but Law only scoffed and continued.

"And your attacks are pathetic compared to Vergo." That statement was definitely true, but Veasel still wasn't thrilled about being insulted by someone less than half his size. The man jumped to his feet, ready to deck the kid in the jaw, but he suddenly stopped.

The sound of a single cannon firing rang through the halls and a few moments later shouts came from up on deck. Veasel let out a sound of detest before bolting to the stairs. Law watched him leave and wondered what was going on up top. The boy also began jogging to the stairs, heading for where the action was to satisfy his curiosity.

Law poked his head around the door leading to the main deck and saw what was causing the fuss. On the port side was another pirate ship flying a jolly roger. The flag had two swords making an X behind the skull and purple wings on each side.

Law looked out on deck and found Doflamingo who was smiling his usual creepy grin across the way to the other ship while the crew was rushing around, frantically gathering weapons and standing attention near the railing. On the other ship stood a man, his hair greased back, arms folded, and a cigar clamped between his teeth. A look of agitation spread onto the stranger's face as Doflamingo cackled in laughter. The smirking pirate then called out to the man across the water.

"And what makes you come all of the way to these waters, Crocodile?" Another round of laughter came from the taller captain as Doflamingo shook from his hysterics.

"Business." Crocodile gave as a short and quick reply, causing Doflamingo's curiosity to spike. The blond man placed a foot on the ship's rail and leaned on it, crossing his arms over his knee.

"It seems I couldn't hear you, could you repeat that explanation?" Doflamingo called out, smiling mischievously now. Law looked across the ship to Crocodile who sighed heavily before reluctantly glaring back at the other pirate captain. In one swift motion Crocodile disintegrated into sand and traveled over onto Doflamingo's ship.

_Wait… sand?! _

Law stood shocked, jaw practically hitting the floor as he saw the millions of particles floating across the expanse and forming back into Crocodile as they arrived on the ship. The rest of the crew seemed pretty shocked too as the majority of them backed away from the two captains. Doflamingo only snickered.

"It seems the rumors are true." The taller captain said, standing up and turning to face the new guest aboard his ship. Crocodile took the cigar in his left hand and blew a smoke ring before placing it back again.

"So you aren't as thick headed as you always let on to be." Crocodile replied. He took a few steps to the railing and leaned against it, relaxing as if this was just some friendly get together. Law was confused by their conversation, wondering what they were talking about. Doflamingo let out a small chuckle.

"You're as perceptive as usual. And what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again? Come to check up on your long lost pal?" Doflamingo flung his head back and cackled. "I never took you for the sentimental type!"

Crocodile let a warning glance cross his features. "Don't jump to such ridiculous conclusions, bird brain." He pushed off from the railing and stood in front of the taller man, continuing.

"The winds are changing and I'd prefer to get a shot at them before they blow over." He stated coolly, letting a breath of smoke seep out of his nose and mouth. Doflamingo's smile widened.

"How poetic." He replied, sitting on the railing and bringing a knee up to his chest. "But that still doesn't answer my question."

Crocodile only let a bored expression onto his face, seeming to seriously consider slicing the taller open with the sword at his side.

"I don't give a damn about your interests, and I sure as hell don't have to explain anything to a psychopath like you." Crocodile turned and began to disintegrate again when a hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder. He turned to see Doflamingo standing and snickering to himself.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend?" He asked with fake sincerity. "Since you're in the neighborhood I thought you might want to team up and…" Doflamingo was cut off by a sudden response.

"Not a chance in hell." Crocodile brushed the man off and continued on his way over to the other ship. Law watched the two, wondering just how they were connected.

_Was he only here to deliver that news?_ Law asked himself as the pirate captain was leaving. His attention was swiftly brought back to the two men when he suddenly heard the "thunk" of something colliding and sticking into wood. Law turned his attention back to the captains and saw what he was looking for; pierced into the ship was a switch blade that had a straight course from Doflamingo's out stretched hand right through the bits of sand that made up Crocodile. The elder captain reformed his upper body and waited a moment, wondering if the younger was going to explain himself. When all he got was a demented smirk in reply, Crocodile returned the favor. The man sent a fist straight into Doflamingo's face and the war was on. Pirates from both sides sent out battle cries and set long boards across to each ship, running to the other side and cutting down anyone they could.

Law grimaced at the bloody scene taking place in front of him. He wasn't entirely used to the whole "pillaging" and "raiding" thing, not to mention that from a doctor's perspective all of this only looked like over time.

Next time they stopped into port he'd have to get some new supplies and a few new books.

Law began to slip away since he wasn't so keen on watching people kill each other when suddenly he was caught by the back of his collar and lifted into the air like a doll for the _second_ time that day.

He was starting to get really annoyed by it.

The man who had Law in his grasp turned him around and smiled wickedly, looking him over.

"What are you? The captain's son?" The pirate snorted with laughter as the young doctor took a moment to process those words.

When he finally did, the boy glared so intensely that the man's grin faltered. With one swift kick to the jaw the pirate was out cold. Law landed easily on the ground and only until he took a moment to assess his situation did he realize the man was from Crocodile's group.

Law shrugged; no matter who he was, the man had pissed him off.

The kid turned back to the deck and saw that everyone was fighting over on the enemy ship, save for the two captains and himself. Law watched their battle with some fascination. Crocodile was taking hits from Doflamingo but always turned to sand before any of them could connect. The taller man never stopped grinning like a hyena though, seemingly enjoying every moment.

Crocodile suddenly had enough and unsheathed his sword, expertly slashing and stabbing at his opponent. Doflamingo dodged a few times before catching the blade in between his hands, his grin somehow spreading further. Before Crocodile could do anything, the taller pirate landed a foot to the shorter's chest, sending him flying across the deck. The blond tossed the other captain's sword into the air and grabbed the blade by its handle, cackled heartily and ran after Crocodile.

Law stood for a moment, no longer able to see the fight and wondering what he should do about it. He thought for a bit and decided watching the captains fight was interesting enough. The boy ran after them, making sure to stay far enough out of sight but still getting a good view.

The battle went on with Doflamingo sloppily swinging the sword around and laughing with enjoyment as Crocodile turned to sand at every slash. The other man spent his time strategizing and trying to get into a position where he could get a shot at the dumbass with his sword.

Law was engrossed by the squabble, intently following every movement to the point where he was no longer keeping an eye on his surroundings.

A man came up behind him, easily wrapping his fingers around the boy's neck and lifting him into the air. Law struggled, kicking and squirming as he tried to find some way to get out of this situation.

Suddenly, he fell to the ground. The boy coughed and rubbed his neck, wondering what had just happened. He looked behind him and saw the pirate that had just man handled him twice now lying on the deck with a sword sticking out of his forehead.

Law's eyes bugged out and he scooted a couple feet away in surprise. He turned his head back to the captains and saw that neither one had Crocodile's sword.

The kid scowled and grumbled under his breath, standing up and decided to head back to his room to avoid the fighting.

In all of the time he had been on Doflamingo's ship Law still felt no loyalty towards anyone on the crew, so he didn't feel the need to help out. The only reason he stuck around was because he had no where to go, and even if he did, the boy had no way of getting there. He took advantage of the free food and free resources, putting up with the bastards who destroyed his world so he could get smarter and stronger. The only thing he had to do was tend to the wounded, but of course he didn't care; it gave him something to practice on. The boy felt no concern to what fate befell the captain or crew of this ship.

Law was about to head through the door leading to the stairway when he saw a familiar face and he turned to acknowledge it. Apparently there was also someone else aboard this ship consumed in a fight. Veasel was on deck trying to hold his own against a man probably twice his size and definitely getting the ass kicking of his life.

The kid smirked to himself, thinking how sweet karma was. He began to leave again, turning to the door when a knot suddenly tightened in his stomach. He froze in the doorway, cries of pain filling his ears.

Law squeezed his eyes shut and cursed, quickly turning around and forming a plan in his head as he ran towards the damned oaf.

Veasel was on the ground, panting and trying his best to stay conscious. The man from Crocodile's ship began slowly advancing on him again, smirking evilly as he drew closer. The smaller pirate glared before searching around for something useful to get himself out of this situation, but couldn't find anything. The stranger pulled out a gun, slowly bringing it up and aiming for the pirate in front of him, snickering cruelly. Veasel's life began to flash before his eyes until he turned away, not wanting any regrets on his mind as the man began tightening his grip on the trigger.

A shingle shot fired.

Veasel looked up, somewhat confused. He didn't feel a bullet penetrate him, and now that he was looking the pirate was aiming away from him with an expression of horror on his face. His attention was drawn to something sticking out of the enemy's stomach.

_A sword?_ He thought to himself, wondering how it got there. Crocodile's subordinate collapsed to his knees and fell over onto his side revealing a boy standing behind him.

Law turned away before he could make eye contact with the pirate and continued on to his room. Veasel sat up with a confused look on his face.

The taller captain suddenly came flying into sight, thrown from some sort of attack Crocodile must have dealt. Doflamingo did two backwards somersaults before landing in a crouched position. Crocodile bolted soon after him and the two clashed, continuing their confrontation.

Law noticed that Doflamingo had picked up his knife and was using it for his defense against a short dagger the enemy captain had pulled from somewhere. It was Crocodile's turn to laugh before speaking.

"You really think a puny blade like that can deal me any damage?" The elder asked mockingly. Doflamingo only smiled mischievously before placing the blade in his hand and running the sharp end against his palm. Blood seeped in between his fingers and dripped to the floor as the captain sliced open his hand and threw the knife away. Crocodile furrowed his brows in annoyance and the fighting continued.

Law stood in confusion, wondering how that could accomplish anything and why the idiot had tossed his blade away. But as he looked closer he could see that Doflamingo was gaining the upper hand. It seemed liquid caused it so Crocodile could no longer transform and with the blood coating his hands it was much easier for Doflamingo to land a solid punch.

Law's attention was then diverted to the other ship as he heard shouting growing louder. Men started running back over to the ship carrying things like bags and chests with all of them grinning happily after ransacking and conquering the ship.

Over the commotion Law could hear the cackling of Doflamingo. He looked back over at the captains and noticed the enraged appearance on Crocodile's face. Doflamingo took advantage of the situation and decked the other man in the face, loosening the grip Crocodile had on his dagger and steeling it from the man. Crocodile turned back with an intense glare at the grinning captain in front of him and Doflamingo immediately goaded the shorter pirate by motioning him to come foreword with his hand. Crocodile happily obliged, clearly oblivious to the blood dripping from the blond captain's hand and running down the dagger.

With one clean slice a large gash was opened across Crocodile's nose. There wasn't a cry of pain or even a distressed look, only a furious glare laced Crocodile's features and with the blood running down his face it made his expression much scarier. Doflamingo laughed excitedly, dodging and ducking from the blows aimed for his face. But Crocodile was gaining the upper hand from his anger and eventually knocked the dagger from either of their reach.

But Doflamingo had other plans. With the twitch of his index finger the sword sticking out of the enemy pirate Law had dealt with came flying into the captain's hand. The pirate dragged the sharpened blade along his palm and rushed Crocodile, swinging the weapon and sloppily missing. The tension level seemed to go through the roof as Doflamingo continued to mock the other captain with his purposely poor skills. The two attacked and defended until Doflamingo let up his ruse as the two came closer and closer to the railing. Before Crocodile could react, Doflamingo's sinister smile was etched back onto his face when an opportunity presented itself. The taller man suddenly gained the swordsman techniques of a master and sliced clear through Crocodile's unguarded left hand before landing a foot to his enemy's chest.

But the next part seemed to throw everyone into shock; Crocodile reached out his good hand and took hold of the other captain's collar, sending both men over the ship's rail.

The shouting and cheers almost immediately stopped as the men watched their captains fall overboard. Law found himself running over to the railing and looking out into the sea with the rest of the crew. The boy peered over the side, looking for the struggling captains but only saw the waves moving out from their plunge. Law suddenly felt a hand gripping his face and sending him flying into the middle of the deck. Someone shouted "Man overboard!" and hopped through the gap they had just created from shoving the eight year old out of the way. Law glared after him but watched as a rope was thrown over to pull the two men up.

A few moments later and Veasel was climbing over the side with Doflamingo in tow.

_Of _course _Veasel was the one to do that. _Law thought to himself. Cheering erupted from the crew as their captain was pulled aboard. Shouting came from the other ship too as Law stood and noticed they had also gone after their captain. He heard Doflamingo yell some command and the men began running around, preparing the ship for departure. The boy didn't want to think about how enraged Crocodile was and decided it was finally time to leave this party before he was dragged into anything else.

He didn't care about the treasure of looted goods from Crocodile's ship, he didn't care about the well being of Doflamingo. The boy walked down the hallway to his room, reaching it and stopping just in front of his spilled food. Law let out a sound of disgust and walked into his room, closing the door behind him and ignoring the mess. The boy climbed onto his bed, lying down with his hands clasped behind his head, no longer able to hear the calls of the men on top. He just looked up at his ceiling, staring at the white surface like something was supposed to come out of it.

Minutes went by and the silence was eating away at him. There was no possible way for him to find peace on this ship; he had tried looking in any room he could but when ever he was alone there was only silence enough for him to reminisce his memories.

Law cursed quietly. He wouldn't start this crap again. To him the past was nothing more than a weight holding him back from living his life, and no matter what he had to keep going.

_But for what purpose?_ He asked himself. The people who actually cared about him weren't ever going to be with him again. In fact, he was the only one capable of seeing them.

Law paused for a moment before taking one of his hands from under his head and draping it over his eyes.

He had the tools, he had the reasons, and all he needed to do was simple.

The boy considered it for a moment longer before slowly sitting up. His eyes looked at the floor with his mind empty in thought. He stood as if possessed and strode over to the other room. Law came up to the drawers and kneeled down, opening the bottom one, pushing everything aside and popping a secret compartment up.

There sat the ticket to his family.

Law took the syringe in his hands and inspected it. It was still the same as when he had first created it a few months ago. All it had was three ingredients; an anesthetic, a muscle relaxer, and a hearty amount of potassium chloride.

Law held the object in his hands, staring it down until he built enough courage to hold it in one hand. The boy tilted the needle towards his skin, stopping the tip just as it touched his forearm.

As soon as the solution was injected into his arm he would be out in a matter of seconds, sleeping blissfully as the chemicals traveled down his blood stream and crawled into his heart, stopping its rhythm and sending him into an eternal sleep.

Law let out a melancholy sigh, tightening his grip on the syringe and positioning his thumb over the plunger. He swore under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for what was to come. Trafalgar Law took in a deep breath and put pressure onto the needle, reminding himself he had nothing left in this world, that life was cruel and no longer held any meaning. Law pulled the needle back to allow him enough strength and force to stab it in his arm. The kid was about to break through his skin and inject the serum when he suddenly stopped.

Warmth enveloped the boy's hand.

His grip on the needle loosened but he refused to open his eyes.

_It's all an illusion,_ he thought,_ this can't be happening._ But it seemed a little hard to just start imagining all of this. Law could feel something on his hand, as if someone was there gripping it softly and telling him everything was alright, that the world was still there and hadn't abandoned him yet.

The warmth suddenly appeared on his shoulder, traveling down to the small of his back and up again, tenderly rubbing his back and reminding him he wasn't alone.

Just like his father used to.

He gently lowered his hand, pointing the needle away from himself and speechless of the sensations that were going on.

A certain smell suddenly drifted pleasantly through the air. Law sat up a little straighter and recognized it immediately.

It was the familiar and sweet scent of his mother.

The boy sat there in the middle of the room, taking in the well-known gestures and movements, realizing something important that he had somehow forgotten.

He wasn't alone and he never would be.

Trafalgar Law smiled to himself, opening his eyes and allowing the sensations to disappear. He looked down at the syringe in his hand and dashed it against the wall, watching as it shattered into a million pieces as liquid spilled everywhere.

A knock suddenly came at the door of his bedroom.

Law raised an eyebrow and wondered who it could be. He stood and made his way over. Law reached the door and turned the handle, slowly opening the door and cautiously looking for who ever knocked. The boy stuck his head into the hallway but didn't find anyone. He furrowed his brows and was about to go back in when he noticed something.

On the ground was a tray of food fresh from the kitchen. Law glanced at where the other one should have been and noticed that the mess was cleaned up. The kid walked out into the hallway, grabbed the tray and headed back inside.

_Maybe life isn't so bad after all._

-End Flashback-

Trafalgar Law sat up, realizing he had dozed off underneath the shade of one of the mangroves. The man stretched and yawned, scratching the back of his neck before standing up.

Only twelve more groves until he was back at his ship.


	6. Transitioning

Law continued through the groves, counting down the numbers leading up to where his ship was docked. The pirate captain was still in the shady part of town because it was just about the only place one could go and be fairly unnoticed, no matter the bounty on their head.

The liveliness also took the edge off of his mind.

Up ahead of him was your everyday friendly bar fight. Law raised an eyebrow at it and stopped in front of a window. It seemed that even though it was only the afternoon people still found an excuse to get drunk and beat the crap out of each other.

But then what else could a guy expect in the lawless zone?

The pirate captain smirked and turned away, recognizing a few people beyond the panes and successfully dodging a chair as it was hurdled through the glass.

Law coolly turned back to his path.

-Flashback-

Out of the corner of his eyes the boy could finally see the land the crew had been shouting about for the past twenty minutes. Of course he could hardly even risk a sideways glance before having to dodge a deadly blow coming from his sparring partner. Vergo held the same expression he always did, refusing to take off his sunglasses no matter the lighting and not speaking a word unless feeling the burning need to.

Law narrowly escaped an uppercut and quickly defended a blow to the gut. Unfortunately, his size and weight still measured into his fighting technique and usually caused his moves to back fire.

The boy was sent tumbling into the side of the ship, successfully crashing through a few guys and sending them to the floor as well. Of course by now everyone was used to the possible out comes of these sparring sessions but no longer dared to make fun of the boy. Whether the rest of the crew liked it or not, the eight year old was stronger and faster than the majority of them.

Law stood quickly and resumed to rush his teacher.

~0~

No more than a half hour later and the ship was secured to a dock with the crew members hopping onto dry land for a peak inside town. Now that they had been in the Grand Line for a while it was definitely easier to find islands with nothing but pirate ports.

Law climbed up onto the railing and was about to hop off when he was suddenly caught midair.

Very few people on the ship had the balls to do that and only one ever felt the need to.

The boy scowled as familiar laughter sounded off behind him. Suddenly, the young doctor was dropped awkwardly to the dock below, causing Law to lose his balance and fall over when he landed. He sat up, rubbing his head and not bothering to acknowledge the presence that had dropped down beside him.

Law flinched when a wad of cash was tossed onto his lap unexpectedly.

"Your equipment sucks. Go get some new stuff." The pirate said. With that, Doflamingo turned and strode away towards town. Law blinked a few times in slight confusion but drew his attention back down to the money on his lap. He picked it up and quickly counted it, determining all of the possible combinations of things he could get.

But for now, he'd stick to gathering herbs in the forest and maybe save the money for a new gadget.

The island climate was that of a temperate rainforest, meaning it was stock full of great plants but also heavy rainfall. For now, the clouds only hung over the town ominously.

The town was fairly large so it took the boy a while to find the tree line. Over the tops of some buildings he noticed something large and green, assumed it was the forest and set off in that direction.

When he came to the area he was headed for, the boy was marginally dissatisfied. In front of him stood a large, green tent that was nearly four stories high. Law looked up at it, intrigued. He had never seen anything like it except in a few books, but those described the tent as being either white or with red stripes.

But written in fancy letters was the name "Fanty and Cat's Circus Extraordinaire".

Law couldn't even begin to describe how excited he was. The boy dashed up to the front, hoping to see a show or at least look at all of the animals and freaks once or twice.

To his disappointment, the ticket booth was empty and the doors were closed, but that didn't cause him to give up hope. Law began to run the perimeter, thinking maybe he could meet up with someone or find an entrance.

After a couple hundred feet Law finally came to an opening. It was no more than a large tear in the fabric but an entrance nonetheless. The boy smiled sinisterly to himself and slipped in, making sure no one was watching before ducking in the entrance.

Inside was lit up like someone was there working. The kid came out to the front row seats of the audience and glanced around for anyone he could get a hold of. Just as the boy drew in a large breath in order to call out to anyone nearby he was cut off when the sound of something large and metal started creaking somewhere in the tent. Law listened intently for a moment before catching some voices.

"You sure nobody's in they'uh?" Came a man with a heavy accent. Two men wheeling a large contraption came into the ring.

"Ah checked three times before, Pa. Ain't nobody here." The younger man said, moving the tarp covered box into the center of the room.

Law sat quietly, deciding it would be fine for him to stay behind the fence that had been conveniently placed around the ring. He peaked slowly over the top, anticipating what was going to come out from under the tarp.

Just as he finished imagining a seven foot tall dragon with green scales and three heads the covering was dramatically thrown off. Law marveled at the discovery anyhow though. Revealed underneath was a tiger, a bangle one with a fierce attitude. The animal lunged for the man, moving the whole cage a few inches closer to the older man. He only grimaced and grabbed the whip from his belt, securing it in his hands and smacking it against the cage. A growl came from the tiger and the boy snickered to himself. He had all he needed to see from these buffoons and decided to look for more of the animals.

Quietly, Law crept to the back of the stands and jogged along the perimeter before he came to another doorway. The boy turned the handle and poked his head inside. When he didn't see anyone, Law gingerly stepped in and closed the door behind him.

He was back outside yet still in the tent enclosure. In front of him was cages with different animals lounging around on the floor and chewing on some hay. There were camels and an elephant, dogs, cats, a hippo, a few giraffes and some empty cages.

Law walked down each of these cages and marveled at the animals, taking in their strange shapes until he eventually came to a cage with nothing but a white blob of fur in it.

For a moment Trafalgar Law didn't know what he was looking at until he saw it move. As soon as the eyes and nose were visible Law was instantly aware that the blob was a baby snow bear.

One of the very few that were left, if he remembered correctly.

It didn't seem like this little guy wasn't getting a break in life either. The snow bear laid on the ground, head and shoulders trying to wedge themselves firmly in the gaps in the bars while reaching for a plate of food just out of his grasp. Law stood for a moment, just long enough to realize the poor little guy needed help.

The boy walked over to the cage, earning a few looks from neighboring animals and the attention of the snow bear. The cub retracted his arm and tried his best at a roar.

The gesture had no effect on the boy except to make a smirk appear on his face. Law picked up the dish of food, examined it to see of it was still any good. When he was satisfied, he placed the dish in front of the baby snow bear and quickly looked for an exit. Law found it and turned back, happy to see the little guy munching away at his meal.


	7. Friends

-Continued Flashback-

The boy wandered through town, wondering where in this place he could find a decent forest or even a green house for that matter. Now that he thought about it, it didn't seem any of the shops had so much as a potted plant.

He had scoured the buildings where the ship was docked and now headed further into the island in search of vegetation. Law passed by repair shops, fish mongers, bait and tackle stores, shops with various gadgets and gizmos displayed in the windows and plenty of bars but there seemed to be no end of this city. Law finally stopped in front of the next store he found, exasperated at the lack of greenery and desperate for some directions. The boy opened the door to a clothing store and a bell rang, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Law took two steps in and immediately noticed the store keeper.

But not before she had noticed him.

A squeal of delight came from the significantly overweight woman as she quickly shimmied over to the boy and latched her chubby fingers around his biceps, lifting him into the air from some strange reaction of joy. Somewhere in the garbled coos that flowed from her mouth Law could understand "so cute!" along with "precious little boy!", "sweet cakes", and "I could just eat you up!"

Law paled in horror at that last comment.

His attention was suddenly brought from the exuberant woman to the sound of chuckling coming from a nearby corner. A tint of color rushed across his nose as the boy looked over and tried to identify the stranger who was laughing at him.

Unfortunately, it was no stranger.

Doflamingo leaned against a clothes rack which displayed many large fur coats. The pirate was pinching the bridge of his nose, obviously trying to stifle his laughter. When he finally managed to get some amount of control over himself, the captain strode over to the two in front of the door and interrupted the woman who was mid-gush.

"You know Debby, I might just let you do that." Doflamingo said with a casual smile. The pirate raised an index finger and dug it into the boy's cheek. He leaned in closer to Law's face, completely ignoring the scowling expression contorting the boy's eyebrows. "This little shit's nothing but trouble." The captain said before bursting into laughter and turning back to the section of coats, leaving Law to fend for himself. The boy glared after Doflamingo before addressing a more demanding issue at the moment.

"Excuse me ma'am, but please put me down." Law said through gritted teeth. He always tried his best to mind his manors, but certain cases allowed for some amount of leniency. Alas, his chivalry, however small of an amount displayed, was taken into a higher regard than necessary.

"Oh my! What a stud! What a star! Oh Doffy my boy, you sure have brought quite the gentleman to my shores!" Debby called out to Doflamingo, pulling Law into a hug that amounted more to being strangled. The boy chocked and gagged, both at her incredible strength and her perfume before being dropped to the ground. Law managed to stay on his feet while he regained his composure.

But of course he wasn't allowed even that moment to himself.

Debby quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him behind her, diving in between the clothing racks until she stopped in front of heavy fur coats that looked to be made for children, all the while gushing about something inaudible. The woman dug through the choices, pulling a coat out every so often but ultimately putting it back and continuing to look for something specific. Law raised an eyebrow only to realize that this was his chance. The boy slowly turned back to the entrance, spying it over the hangers and jackets and smiling to himself before being torn from his dreams of freedom when he was whirled around to face the woman again. She didn't even give the kid a chance to protest as she wrapped him in a heavy winter coat. In a matter of seconds Law could feel the warmth resonating in the fur as Debby fussed with the buttons and fastenings.

Regardless whether this coat was made for a kid or not, it was way too big. The collar easily came over his nose while the sleeves dangled just past his fingers. The woman stood back to admire her work, clasping her hands together and placing them to the side of her tilted head. She let a few childish compliments out of her mouth while Law only stood glowering in humiliation. Just when the boy thought things couldn't get any worse, someone came up behind him and stole the hat from his head only to replace it with a bigger one that had a larger brim which flopped lazily in his face. Law spun around and looked up to see Doflamingo twirling the kid's hat around his first finger and grinning coolly.

"Give that back!" Law called up to the taller man but earned nothing more than a snicker from the pirate.

"Hey Debs, I've been looking for a new coat, something… different. The ones I've got just don't do justice anymore. I thought you could get me something." The pirate explained. Law held the brim of the hat back as he continued to look up, wondering why these two were so familiar with one another. The boy was suddenly jarred from his thoughts by an ear splitting squeal coming from the woman. She quickly rushed away with a skip in her step. Law watched her leave in wonder; in all of the places he had been and things he'd seen while on the Grand Line, this woman had to be the strangest.

Just as that thought finished running past his mind Debby came rushing back, grabbed Doflamingo by his wrist and yanked him away. Law wasn't entirely sure, but he thought he heard something like a surprised grunt come from the pirate captain as he was whisked away.

Law blinked, suddenly remembering his escape plan and began undoing the buttons, desperate to get out of the store before Debby came back again. Just when the boy thought he could finally get out, one of the fastenings got stuck in the ridiculous fur. Law cursed lightly before jiggling it up and down.

Nonsensical giggling came from the other end of the store. Law bristled, standing up straight and looked around for somewhere he could hide. The boy decided his best bet was the circular rack near the entry way. The kid sprinted and hurtled himself into the cluster of coats before taking a moment to confirm Doflamingo and Debby's location. When he was satisfied that the two were still far enough away, Law set back to work and tried to pick the hairs out of the fastening.

"Are you having trouble with that?"

Law didn't look up, staying focused on the task at hand.

"It's almost out, just a little more." The boy replied. Not even a moment later and the fastening came undone, freeing the boy from the entanglement. Law smiled widely and started to shrug the coat off only to notice something strange about his surroundings.

He wasn't alone.

The boy looked to his right and saw what was not expected. Sitting next to him was the baby snow bear from earlier, staring at him. Law sat stunned, completely unable to form a working sentence in his mind. He tried to say something but only managed to slowly open and close his jaw. The bear sat politely before cheerily greeting the stranger.

"Hello."

Law's eyes widened in surprise just before he prepared a shout. But before he had a chance to let it out the bear's arm reached across, latching onto the boy's mouth and successfully stifling the kid's surprise.

"Shhh. The lady is scary when she's mad." The bear said. Law stared incredulously at the sight in front of him. After a few seconds of tense silence, the bear lowered his hand, watching for any sudden movements from the perplexed kid.

Law sat and listened to his thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that was going on in this strange town. But there was one question he definitely needed an anwer from. Curiosity over took the kid and he quickly asked the question that had popped up in his mind.

"You can_ talk_?" The boy asked in a loud whisper. The bear sat for a moment, staring at Law with an expression like he just had some sort of revelation. Suddenly, his mood changed and the strange creature hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry." He stated plainly.

Law only became more dumbfounded.

Suddenly, a dramatic change in the sounds of the store caused the boy to perk up. He listened only to end up scowling in dissatisfaction.

Doflamingo and Debby were coming this way.

Law thrust the coat from his arms and made a b-line for the exit. He sprinted to the door, easily opened it, and spun through the crack before the bell had a chance to ring. As if no more than a breeze passed through a gap in the door, the boy shut it quietly and ran down the street to get away from that crazy place.

After a few blocks Law ducked in an alleyway to cool down and consider what he should do next. Out of the corner of his eye, the kid noticed something flop over. He reached up and realized he was still wearing that ridiculous hat. The boy sighed angrily, yanking the hat from his head and tossing it aside.

When he got back to the ship he'd definitely make that shitty captain give his hat back.

"That was a close one." Came a familiar voice.

Law's breath caught. He swallowed once and turned to the left only to be greeted by the face of the snow bear.

The kid nearly jumped out of his skin as he let out a yelp of surprise.

The bear only sat there, staring at Law with the same blank yet inquisitive expression. Law continued to stare back, finally getting a good look at the animal that had been following him. The bear looked to be about as tall as him, maybe a little shorter. He was pure white with thick fur and a strange collar around his neck.

Law slowly sat up straight, refusing to take his eyes away from the animal in front of him. The creature began to get uncomfortable and moved his legs into a criss-cross sitting position, looking at the wall of the building to the other side of the alley and twiddling his thumbs. The boy didn't even notice the quietness of the streets, choosing to focus on his thoughts until he heard a quite voice speak.

"Thank you."

Law blinked, hardly even registering what he just heard. The boy shifted to his knees and nudged foreword a few inches, not entirely sure what the bear was talking about. The animal seemed to understand his confusion and lowered his head in humility before speaking quietly again.

"…For the food. Thank you."

The boy finally remembered his trip to the circus, allowing the baffled look on his face to disappear. Law stood up and brushed himself off.

"It was nothing." The boy stated, standing in front of the animal. The bear looked up, noticing that Law had extended a hand out to him. He hesitated a moment but eventually took it, allowing the boy to help him up. When they were both standing Law shook the bear's hand up and down.

"The name's Trafalgar Law." The boy said with a smirk on his face. The bear paused, looked down at his hand, then followed the human's lead and shook his hand up and down as well with a smile of amusement on his face. The bear looked up, ready to introduce himself as well but suddenly his expression fell into fear and his hand froze mid-shake.

Law quirked an eyebrow and turned around to see what the trouble was. Behind him stood a large man with a thick handle bar mustache wearing a black suit jacket with green and white striped pants and a large top hat. He was average height and probably in his mid forties. Law also happened to notice the man looked a tad angry what with the red face, furrowed brows and clenched fists at his sides shaking from rage.

"I've _found_ you!" The man seethed in pure rage. Law frowned, wondering what the deal was with this guy. The bear tugged slightly at Law's hand and when the boy looked back he was shocked.

The snow bear was visibly shaking in fear and looked to be on the verge of tears. Something in Law's heart twisted, he spun his attention back to the stranger and gave him the fiercest glare he could muster.

He didn't care who ever this guy was but if the snow bear was this terrified of him the man couldn't be good news.

But the stranger didn't seem to notice Law and began to walk around him. The boy refused to let him by and stepped in his way, blocking the path between him and the little bear.

"Out of my way, boy." The man said, refusing to acknowledge him entirely. But Law didn't budge. He let go of the bear's hand and stood ready to kick the geezer's ass.

However, Law didn't even get a chance to even block an attack. In an instant he found himself dangling from the grasp by his neck with oxygen being cut off quicker every second. Law felt the scene somewhat familiar but ignored the nostalgia for now and sent a powerful kick to the man's ribcage. A grunt of pain came from him as the stranger doubled over in agony. The boy landed on his feet, rubbing his neck and coughing as fresh air rushed his lungs. The kid suddenly had the feeling something was coming for him, he quickly snapped his head up to see a right hook heading for his face. Law sprung into a back flip, gracefully landing it and then rushed the man, managing to swipe a left straight just past the guy's cheek. The boy cursed lightly as he was left in a vulnerable position, trying his best to get out but wasn't quick enough. The boy's arm was twisted behind his back and his face thrust against the building's wall in the ally. Just as he was getting his bearings again, Law was flung into the opposite wall and another large hand clamped down on his neck. The boy let out a grunt of pain and dug his nails into the stranger's hand. He could feel the blood soaking into his finger nails but the grip on his throat never waivered. Law closed his eyes, thinking fast of what to do.

But the grip around his neck abruptly let up. Law dropped to the ground, gasping for air and wondering just what had happened.

"I thought we had a deal, Ringmaster." Came a dangerous and familiar voice. The boy looked up to see the stranger with a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes. Law tried to look beyond the man but the only thing behind him seemed to be something large and pink.

"I didn't know this brat was one of yours" The man stated, clearly unable to move due to a certain person's devil fruit powers. Doflamingo walked around to the side of Ringmaster and chuckled.

"Then somebody's behind on his homework." Doflamingo joked as a sneer came over his face. It was the same expression he usually gave those who had lied or cheated him of something and were about to pay dearly for it. The boy shuttered every time he saw that expression.

An unexpected contortion of pain suddenly came over Ringmaster's face. He let out a stifled grunt then a true cry of pain. Law looked around but the only motion seemed to be going on was in his hands, and by the looks of it, the fingers appeared to be getting further apart.

Law cringed at the very thought. Doflamingo was ripping the man's hands apart and all the demented captain did was smile wickedly.

Doflamingo abruptly cut off his powers and the man fell to the floor, panting and staring incredulously at his damaged hands. Law shifted his gaze to Doflamingo and was surprised at how intense his expression was. But the captain suddenly dropped his maniacal smile and frowned down at Ringmaster before flashing a glance at the boy, finishing the scene by nonchalantly strolling away.

Law sat for a moment longer, watching as the tall man walked around the corner and noticing he had gotten his new coat before remembering he was with someone. The boy hopped to his feet and casually approached the bear. The creature only sat there, staring at the man kneeling on the ground in amazement. Law waited for a response but was never given one. The boy decided to hold out his hand again which quickly got the animal's attention.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Law suggested, nudging his hand towards the bear. He looked up into the boy's eyes for a moment before accepting the gesture and standing up with Law's help. The bear followed closely behind and refused to let go of the kid's hand as they went after Doflamingo.

Law pulled the creature along, but just as they jogged a few feet away from the ally the snow bear slowed to a stop. Law turned around to see him looking away shyly and nervously shuffling his feet. The boy quirked an eyebrow but didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong as he was interrupted by the animal. He said something under his breath but Law frowned, coming closer and silently asking the bear to repeat himself.

"Oi! Shitty trouble making brat! Hurry the fuck up!" Called the impatient pirate ahead of them. Law scowled but released the other's hand, running down the street. He was halfway to the where the pirate captain was when he noticed something amiss. The kid spun around, spying said absent occupant and shouted over to him with a smile on his face.

"Come on Bepo! Let's go!"

A moment of silence passed as the bear let that statement sink in. A smile burst open on Bepo's face and he ran with a combination of skips and waddling down to his awaiting friend.

~0~

at first when i had Debby gushing over Law's gentlemanliness i had her call Doflamingo "Donny my boy" (from Donquixote) but after reading the manga update on wednesday how could i pass up the nick name "Doffy"?  
as a fangirl it would've been an insult to my kind ;D

and what are your thoughts for this chapter? better than the last? straying from the initial awesome? not enough present day Law? (present day being relative to the first chapter)


	8. Follow Through

"Captain!"

It was a unison shout of two of his crew members. Law continued to walk down the street but recognized the voices as the tall, buff man named Finch who was a fair shot at just about anything that could fire, and the ever devious Faux who was always playing tricks on unsuspecting crew members. The pirates jogged up behind their captain and appeared in front of him with a mug of beer for the both of them in hand and a snockered look to their faces. The two men didn't seem to realize Trafalgar Law wasn't in the mood for conversation and struck one up with him anyway.

"Captain! Join us!" Finch called in a loud, drunken voice. He and Faux hooked one of their arms with each of Law's, not even troubling themselves to allow him to walk forewords as the two of them pulled their captain back the way he was coming from.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Law called out, hardly bothering to struggle but not particularly pleased about being dragged.

"The guys and us are having a good ol' time down at the Snuggly Duckling! We figured we couldn't leave our captain out!" Faux answered, sloshing his drink back and forth, spilling the contents every now and again. The men reached their destination quickly, faced Law foreword in front of the bar doors and burst through them, causing an eruption of cheers to echo in the establishment. Trafalgar Law entered and looked around, recognizing that ninety percent of the people crammed in there were his crew members and all were drinking and having a good time. The last few months have been nothing but a party to the majority of them and the Heart Pirates' money was nearly depleted by now.

Law smirked, making his way further into the building and ordering one of his men to get him a drink. The captain sat down at a table in the middle of the bar, crossing his legs and taking in the cheery atmosphere.

Dozen's of conversations blended together, but one thing was prominent among them; everyone was excited to get on their way to the new world and be the ones to find the One Piece.

A mug was set in front of the pirate captain by an eager waitress who looked no more than eighteen. Law thanked her and took a sip, savoring the taste with an exhale of content.

It seemed like hardly any time had passed since he first became a pirate captain. Every destination was a treasured memory, not a single fight would ever be forgotten and each of his crew was practically hand picked by now.

It was like one big patch worked family. The only thing these guys could never do was replace his home town with all of its beauty and fond childhood memories. No matter how much these guys tried they could never amount to that.

They were something much better.

Law took another sip and set the mug aside, taking notice to the spectacles occurring in the middle of the bar floor. Merry singing and sloppy, drunken dancing were the main attractions being held. The pirate captain smirked as Finch and Faux tried to coax other crewmembers to do the tango or waltz in an area where tables had been pushed away to make room. The bar erupted into laughter as the two gave up and settled for each other with both of them enthusiastically trading off the turns and dips. Four of the other members sat at a table near one of the corners playing the piano, fiddle, saxophone, and harmonica, making music for the pirates to clap and dance to.

Law chuckled and began clapping in sync as well, watching as Finch spun Faux a little too hard and sent him into a collection of tables. The room shouted with happiness and more guys paired up, linking arms and prancing in circles. The music was upbeat and the dancing hearty; Law sat and watched as male crew members also whisked what few female members there were into merry attempts at dancing, everyone singing and clapping to the music. The Pirate captain picked up his drink again to take another sip only to be interrupted.

"May I have this dance?"

Law looked up to see one of his lady members with a hand stretched out to him. Her name was Calico and had been with the crew since nearly the beginning of his adventures. She was also the assistant chef and very easy on the eyes.

The captain set his drink down and stood up, taking her hand in his and lightly kissing the back of it.

"Of course, my lady."

The two smirked and Law swept her to the middle of the floor, using the dance steps he had learned on very many occasions on the sea. The captain noticed the sound of clapping grew louder as he assumed more people stood at the circle's perimeter while the two glided along the floor. Law refused to look away from his dance partner, taking in her beauty as she followed his lead and gracefully stayed in step with him. This wasn't the first time the two had danced together but it was definitely a welcome gesture that hadn't occurred for a while.

The music abruptly stopped and the two struck a pose, only breaking eye contact when the synchronized clapping turned into applause and joyful shouts. The captain and assistant chef joined in as well, applauding the musicians and each other for the good time.

The unexpected sound of clanging pots broke through the festivities and everyone turned to see who was making the racket.

Faux stood on top of a table while Finch stood next to him on a chair. Finch continued making the clamor and only stopping when everyone was giving their attention to the two of them and mostly quieted down. Faux cleared his throat and spoke.

"I propose a toast," he introduced, raising a glass in Law's direction, "to the greatest captain on the grand line!" The man called out with cheers following after. The captain only smirked and looked away, lightly shaking his head.

"Without him none of us would have gotten this far. We all have our own crazy stories but all in all, the greatest ones came with this man." Finch continued, extending a hand in his captain's direction.

"To Trafalgar Law!" They both called together, instigating the high-spirited cheers and rounds of applause.

The pirate captain's smirk grew wider. A thought crossed his mind, curiously making its way past his consciousness and the man smiled fondly at it. Law dropped the expression and looked up at the two announcers, approached their spot in the bar, motioned for them to get down and climbed his way onto the table. The shouts died down to silence as he ascended and looked over the crowd with an air of confidence and pride. Law began addressing the front of the crowd.

"It's been a while since I've had to do something like this." The men in front snickered at the captain's poor excuse for a joke and Law raised his voice to accommodate the rest of the room.

"But that doesn't seem to matter to some of you." The pirate looked over at the men who had begun this announcement and they just grinned back at him like a couple of boys taking credit for a prank they pulled. Law lightly shook his head again and continued.

"You've all waited patiently for this moment and it's time I've sprung at the opportunity." A few cheers and shouts came out from various parts of the bar as they inferred his meaning. Law took a moment from his speech to glance at the naive and eager faces of his men. Trafalgar Law recognized every one and each story that they carried with them since the moment they had stepped into the pirate captain's life. Law smirked before returning to his speech.

"The ship is coated," he called out and a few shouts of excitement rang in the bar, "the tide is right," a few more sounded off, "and the opportunity is golden." He looked over the men and women as they cheered in excitement and with that, Law stepped down from the table and nonchalantly made his way through the crowd. As he walked through the room, Law couldn't help but over hear some of the conversations.

"We're finally going to the New World!"

"It's about time we were off to Fishman Island."

"We had better prepare the ship right away!"

"What's the rush? We still have a party to get to!"

Law stopped walking and stood in front of the table where his drink still sat, eyeing it temptingly.

But he wasn't there for the alcohol.

The captain reached out and took hold of his prized sword in one hand, gazing at the scabbard as if it was going to disintegrate in his hand at any moment. Law slowly grabbed the handle and the noise died down in the room as the crew noticed what he was doing and listened for their captain to continue his speech. Law drew the remarkably long nodachi and listened as the sound of steel rang through the bar. He turned around but kept his gaze on the weapon in his hand.

"Yes, the right opportunity." Law softly said to himself with a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. The captain composed himself and looked up, slowly making his way back through the crowd. He began continuing his speech.

"New adventures await, men." The captain paused a moment, noting that nothing but silence followed his announcement. It seemed his crew was in a mood to take him seriously. "There will be nothing but new foes and new obstacles beyond this point." Law stopped next to the table Finch and Faux were occupying and slung his nodachi over his shoulder. "But worst of all, there will be those who deceive you." The captain glanced over at his subordinates from the corner of his eye, his expression dead serious. "Up ahead is the sea that will change a person's heart and destroy their dreams without a second thought. Are you prepared for that?" Law addressed to the two sitting next to him. Their eyes locked onto the captain's before both sprung up and called in unison.

"Sir, yes sir!"

Before Finch had time to blink Law's sword was pointed straight at his throat. The pirate stared incredulously at it, swallowing as he understood the implication.

Law smirked coolly and returned the weapon to its previous position.

Faux narrowed his eyes.

"Captain, what are you getting at?" The man asked skeptically. Faux may be a trickster, but he knew a fair amount at reading signs and expressions. The pirate came around the little table and stood directly in front of his captain, looking up and making eye contact with Law. "We could never accuse you of betrayal, if we did what would be the point of even joining you in the first place?"

A murmur passed through the bar, Law could hear questions wondering what the captain was up to. The pirate softened his serious gaze and chuckled.

"You're right about one thing." Law said, never breaking eye contact with the crew member, not even so much as to blink. "You were a fool for joining me."

Faux didn't even get a chance to process his captain's words before the Ope Ope no mi circle burst open from the pirate captain and encompassed the bar.

A sadistic smile carved open Law's face and in an instant Faux was on the ground, unconscious.

Thick and heavy silence soon followed, surprise covering everyone's expressions until a shriek came from one of the female members. Finch glanced up incredulously at Law, noticing he was holding something.

In the captain's left hand was a red cube with a heart beating regularly inside.

Finch glared back at Law, his fists clenched and shaking in rage. In a split second the man vaulted over the table, landing in front of the pirate captain and connected a fist with his cheek.

Law didn't even budge, his demented smile staying in place as a low chuckle rumbled from his throat. Finch swore under his breath but wasn't able to escape before his heart was also sliced straight from his chest. The sharp shooter collapsed to the ground, clenching the place where his heart used to be.

Shouts and screams erupted from everyone in the building. The crew made a mad dash for the exits and windows only to find that they were locked and barred. Law raised an eyebrow, not remembering anything about locking everyone in the building.

_Doflamingo._ He thought quickly. Law angrily swore under his breath, realizing he'd have to do this more perfectly than he had hoped.

The captain raised his sword and prepared for the mass slaughter of his crew. A few men found their bravery and tried shouting at him for an explanation, but their words were lost over the panic. Law ignored their demands, returning to the job at hand and deciding to use a few techniques he had learned from the best.

A dark aura came over the captain's expression as a gruesome smile carved itself across his face from ear to ear. The number of terrified screams and pleads increased, but Law tuned them out, opting to focus on the long term outcome.

After all, if he did all of the dirty work Doflamingo wouldn't think it necessary to find a creative way to do it himself. The pirate set to work and slashed away in the direction of a few members, sending them to the ground in a matter of seconds. The captain took a few steps foreword but paused, turned around and addressed the waitress standing petrified behind the bar counter.

"Oi, girl." She jumped at being noticed by the homicidal pirate standing in front of her. "Bring me a large crate."

The girl stood shaking in her place for a moment before quickly nodding and rushing off.

Law dodged an accurately thrown glass and turned back to his crew.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" One of the men shouted. Law only stood with a bored expression on his face, waiting for the man to continue. When he didn't, Law grinned.

Before anyone was able to stop him, the pirate appeared in front of the man and sliced a hole in his chest to match the two dozen others he had already cut down. The captain caught his subordinate by his collar and looked him the eyes with a demented expression that would make Doflamingo proud.

"Consider this your permanent resignation." The pirate casually stated, letting the man slip from his grasp and fall to the floor.

Law looked up and raised his sword to continue. He brought the weapon down to attack another pirate member only to stop just before cutting open a very familiar face.

"Che." Law frowned in dissatisfaction as he looked Calico in the eyes. The girl was nearing tears with a look of horror on her face.

"Law…?" She asked fearfully. Law only stared, his sword almost connecting with her nose. A single tear ran from the far corners of each of her eyes as her lips trembled.

"What are you doing, Law?"

The captain said nothing but stood straight and lowered his blade away from Calico. The assistant chef blinked the tears from her vision and furrowed her brows.

"Answer me, Law! What's going on?"

Calico suddenly gasped, her vision moving from the captain standing in front of her to the sword now impaling her chest. Not even a moment later and she was staring at her heart sitting in the pirate's left hand. Law watched her expression contort from anger to sadness as she slowly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Something twisted inside of the captain's heart.

Suddenly, Law was rushed by a group of his subordinates. They tried their best to defend the few who were still untouched by the pirate's blade but failed in a matter of seconds.

Law dropped the last victim, watching as he slumped to the ground. The pirate captain turned to look for any last members and caught the terrified gaze of the waitress. She was kneeling on the ground with the large crate forgotten to the side of her.

With the twitch of his finger, the wooden crate levitated and glided over to the pirate. He immediately set it on the ground and removed the top, inspecting the inside. To his satisfaction, it was empty and with the snap of his fingers the disembodied hearts of his comrades came floating to rest inside of the box.

Without looking back or even a single word of remorse, the pirate captain retracted the Ope Ope no mi circle, sheathed his nodachi, opened the front door and walked out with his cargo, leaving his crew to lie on the bar floor.

When Law stepped onto the mangroves outside he immediately heard the sound of one person clapping. The pirate stopped in his tracks, his finger nails digging into the crate at his side as a makeshift distraction from the unnerving need to kill the man walking up to him.

"Bravo! Stupendous!" Each word burrowed deeper into Law's heart, reminding him of the treachery he had displayed not even five minutes ago. A reserved growl came from between the pirate's teeth. Doflamingo approached his subordinate and clapped a hand on his shoulder, laughing at the lack of a reaction.

"I couldn't have asked for a better show. Really, you could get an Emmy for that performance." Cackling laughter came from the Shichibukai. Law roughly shrugged Doflamingo's hand away and began making his way back to the ship.

"Make sure not to disappoint me with your remaining members." Doflamingo called to the younger pirate.

Law couldn't take it anymore; he quickly put the box down and expanded the Ope Ope no mi circle to encompass a radius of 120 feet while unsheathing his sword. The pirate appeared directly in front of Doflamingo with a downward slash that would have cut a normal person in two, but unfortunately the other pirate caught it in between his hands. Doflamingo's smile widened with bewilderment as Law tried his best to glare a hole through the other man's forehead.

"Wow! You sure have gotten strong if I have to use both of my hands!" Doflamingo gushed with fake admiration. The Shichibukai chuckled as the pirate in front of him somehow managed to make his anger more prominent than it already was. Law broke away and attacked with swordsmen styles he had practiced thousands of times before. Doflamingo sidestepped and ducked each blow, smiling as the blade came within millimeters of his clothes. But the Shichibukai was caught up in the fun and didn't realize he was backing into a wall until he bumped into it. Law took the chance and thrust his sword for the other's midsection only to be stopped an inch before impaling the man in front of him. Law swore under his breath; he tried to move but couldn't so much as budge an eyelid.

Doflamingo raised a hand and twitched one of his fingers, making Law take a step back and lower his sword. The younger pirate complied against his will, hardly even able to slow down the Shichibukai's devil fruit power. Doflamingo threw his head back and laughed, amused by how easy it was to stop the other pirate's rage and also by how much he had progressed while being captain of his own ship.

Doflamingo took a step away from the wall and stooped over to make direct eye contact with the pirate rookie. As soon as he did the Shichibukai stifled a chuckle, turning away as to not be too rude to the subject of his amusement. When Doflamingo had himself mostly under control again he turned back to Law and raised a hand to rest against the side of the rookie's head. Doflamingo ran his thumb under Law's eye and held his findings up for the other pirate to inspect.

The Shichibukai stood up straight, laughing as he began walking away.

Law could only stay where he was, watching the other man leave and wishing every horrible and tragic event imaginable to happen to Doflamingo's life.

~0~

AN: i hope this fic sedates your Law and Doflamingo needs for the time being, especially since this is a Law and Doflamingo fanfic that has hardly any Law and Doflamingo scenes...  
comments? questions? concerns? favorite? follow? all Back Story related worries can be taken care of right below ;)


	9. Success

AN: well obviously i have commitment issues... i figured i sooner shoot myself with all of the changing and rearranging i was doing with this chapter than actually finish with the plot i had been aiming for. this one's supposed to be a flashback but it moves away from law's perspective so it's more like a one-shot stuck in this story. oh well, better this than nothing ;) enjoy!

~0~

"Survival training? What's that?" Law asked curiously as the ship drew closer to the shore in front of them. Men worked tirelessly, preparing to drop anchor and step onto the deserted island in front of them. It had only been a couple weeks since the crew had seen dry land but there were still a few on board who were getting pretty antsy to be on solid ground again. Vergo stood next to the boy, considering how to answer his question.

The tall, dark-skinned man felt a tug on his lips as they formed a sort-of half smirk. He replied in a cool, even tone.

"You'll soon find out."

~0~

The dinghy slowly lowered into the water, carrying the only two passengers down to the relatively calm waters of the ocean below. Law stared up at the men above, wondering why others weren't coming when there was plenty of room in the boat. He could catch a few whispers and read lips of some of the men, but was completely unsatisfied with the answers he got.

"Why does that brat get to go on land but not us? I'm going crazy here!"

"If you want to die in a freak accident by those two monsters, go ahead. I'm staying here."

"I hear the kid's about to fight Vergo-san when he's going at full power."

"Yeah, it sure was nice knowing him."

Law paled slightly at the last comment before the little boat landed unceremoniously in the waters. The kid turned slowly to the man sitting before him and gulped rather loudly. Vergo only stared back through his trademark sunglasses without a single emotion shown on his face.

"Hurry up and turn on the motor, it'll get us to the island faster." Vergo stated matter-of-factly

Law blinked a few times and looked around the dinghy, searching the edges for any sign of a motor before turning back to the strange man.

"We don't have one…"

Vergo didn't seem taken aback by this sudden revelation and gestured at two oars.

"Oh. Then I guess you'll have to row us over."

Law sighed and picked up the planks, setting them in the water and paddling as fast as his arms would take them.

When they reached dry land, Law was in charge of securing the boat safely. The boy finished and wiped his brow, thankful that the island they landed on had many flourishing trees that could hide him from the scorching sun. Vergo strode up beside him and folded his arms as he stared into the forest before them.

"Your training starts now. Your only job is to survive any deadly situation that may occur until sundown. After that, I have nothing left to teach you."

Law looked up at the man in front of him. For months he had been beaten, broken, thrashed about, and insulted for sloppy forms and now the perpetrator was just going to let him go? Something was up.

"I'll give you a one minute head start."

An imaginary warning siren blasted through Law's head. _So that's what he meant by survival training. I have to survive _him_ until sundown._

Law's vision darted to the tree line as he considered every starting possibility. He swallowed heavily once more and rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants before turning back to the tall devil fruit user beside him.

"Vergo, I don't think…" the boy was cut off.

"San."

Law instantly knew his mistake and cursed himself lightly as the man turned his gaze to the kid beside him.

"Don't ever think you can address me so lightly." The elder warned.

"You now have ten seconds."

Law didn't need to be reminded twice as he sprinted into the greenery before him.

~0~

The boy panted heavily as he ducked behind a shrubbery. If only he could get a few moments to himself he could come up with any sort of decent plan-

Law ducked and rolled from the bushes as a sudden iron fist split the ground he had been sitting on only instants before. He shuttered internally at the scene that could have been displayed.

Vergo lifted his fist from the impacted ground and turned back to his prey. Law immediately stood up and positioned himself into a fighting stance to counter his foe. The man smirked and assumed the same stance.

After a minute of mutual silence Law bolted at his older counterpart, trying his best to land some sort of hit on his opponent only to be reminded of the vast differences in their abilities. After a few short moments of dodging, Vergo landed a quick, violent punch into the boy's stomach, sending him flying through the trees as if they were nothing but tooth picks being snapped in half. As his momentum slowed, the boy landed harshly against a palm tree trunk and sank to the ground, trying his best to get his lungs to work properly again and to keep the earth from slipping out underneath his feet.

A sudden pit in his stomach reminded him to not stay in the same place for too long and Law jumped aside. Vergo came pummeling through once again, but this time Law wasn't too keen on sticking around. He dashed into the forest a different way he had come and Vergo was going. The boy kept running until another internal warning sounded off and he stopped, inches from falling over a fifty foot drop. He paused for a moment, thinking a bit before having to move again as a boulder was flung to the spot he had been occupying.

But the large rock only served as a distraction. Vergo approached the kid from behind and hauled him into the air by the scruff of his shirt. The man turned to look out over the cliff, causing Law to dangle precariously over the edge. The boy took one look down and wished he hadn't; below was nothing but jagged rocks and bone-crushing waves smashing against stone walls.

The boy's hands shot up to grip his elder's, hoping with a little more anchorage that it would be less likely for him to fall.

But he was wrong.

As soon as Vergo let go he sent an iron punch straight into his ribs and Law lost his attachment to solid ground, falling several dozen feet and crashing into the water below. The tidal effect was almost immediate; the waves pushed and pulled, flinging him from the ocean floor to a rock wall, and from there to a large stalagmite jutting from the ground. His breath was knocked from him and the boy sucked in large amounts of sea water, causing him to panic even more before exerting all of his energy to his arms and gliding to the surface above. Law clung to the nearest sea rock and coughed up copious amounts of water while gasping for air. He tried to climb higher on the rocks only to be bombarded with giant waves sweeping him out to sea. When the boy was clear of the rocks and somewhat out in the ocean he attempted to float on his back and regain his composure only to be sucked under water once again.

Today just didn't seem to be his day.

~0~

Law gasped and choked, coughing up sea water and maybe even a fish or two as he crawled up the beach. Somehow after tumbling in the ocean for God only knows how long he managed to catch the right tide and was sent back onto land. The boy rolled over and stared into the sky, blinking a few times in order to clear his vision enough to see the position of the sun.

_Just past noon._ He thought as the bright ball of fire threatened to burn his eyes if he gazed any longer.

And again he was cruelly reminded that he wasn't alone on the island. Vergo burst from the tree line and charged down the beach at the poor boy. Law's eyes widened before rolling out of the way and jumping to his feet, managing to block a punch aimed for his nose.

The stand-off lasted only for an instant before the boy was forced to retreat. He bolted across the sand and ducked back into the forest.

~0~

The sun was nearing the horizon and Law was still alive. The boy panted heavily while he sat in a cave completely submerged underwater. The kid had been there for five minutes after Vergo had thrown him into the thrashing ocean once more and he caught another strange tide that sent him flying into the cavern.

_Maybe if I just wait here then I can stay alive until sundown._ He thought to himself.

But Law stood up, dusting the sand from his pants and tearing off what little bits of cloth remained of his shirt.

He'd be damned if he just sat around like some little coward.

Besides, now he had a plan.

~0~

Vergo strolled through the jungle wondering if he had truly killed the brat this time. He'd felt something in the back of his mind telling him that the boy was a survivor and wouldn't go down so easily, but apparently he was wrong. The sun was halfway behind the horizon and the man decided to walk the perimeter once more before heading off to the ship. Doflamingo wasn't going to be happy that the boy was dead but he had warned him something like this might happen.

Vergo stepped out onto the beach and was greeted with a surprise. There the boy stood, arms crossed and expression arrogant.

"What's the matter, _Vergo?_ Tired of chasing me or something?"

The pirate scowled, cracking his knuckles at the obvious taunt. If this brat wanted his death wish granted, then so be it.

Vergo charged.

Law managed to block a punch and dodge several other attacks before having to duck out and sprint at top speed back into the forest. Vergo followed close after, swerving through the trees just as fast as the cheeky brat, turning corners on a dime but never managing to catch him. Everything seemed to be going along with a smooth chase of cat and mouse, until the kid made one fatal move.

Law tripped over a tree root, tumbling to a stop just under a coconut tree. The pirate scoffed and easily approached, crossing his arms in disappointment and glancing down at the boy as he slowly began pushing himself up again. The kid pulled himself into a standing position and glared up at the man looming over him, wiping a line of blood from his chin.

"Bad move kid." And with that, Vergo pulled a fist back, aimed carefully, and sent it flying towards the boy's now cowering features.

But then Law grinned mischievously as he jumped out of the way, causing the pirate to send his fist into the tree. Coconuts fell everywhere, landing with soft thumps on the ground and pelting the unsuspecting man a few times.

Vergo swore under his breath and yanked his hand from the trunk, turning back to the brat just as he disappeared beyond a few bushes. The pirate growled and resumed the chase.

Vergo was right behind the kid and Law took advantage of it. At every chance he got, he pulled a tree branch back at let it swing into Vergo's face, causing more profanities to erupt from the man as the boy continued to flee. The two sprinted through the jungle with Law tumbling and running over everything in order to escape his imminent demise and Vergo just plowing through it all like he was only jogging through a rainstorm.

Law finally saw the last sight up ahead and grinned in relief. In a final moment of strength, the kid accelerated to his top speed and flung himself through the brush, soaring over the side of a cliff to plunge into the water 50 feet below.

Vergo skidded to a halt and peered over the side, wondering what on earth the kid could accomplish by doing that.

But his question was soon answered when the pirate felt something tug on his ankle. Before the man had any chance to help his situation, his leg was pulled out from under him as the lasso around his foot was tightened by the eight-year-old plummeting to the waters below. Vergo tried to grab onto the ledge but it was no use as something even heavier was suddenly added to the rope, he glanced to his side and noticed the boulder that he'd thrown earlier attached to the other end. He also noticed several sticks and branches were shoved under as leverage for an easier time toppling the thing down the cliff. The kid must have dislodged it with his weight as a part of his plan for a counter measure to Vergo hanging onto the ledge and it had worked. The man glowered down at the crashing water he was now falling to before getting a last minute plan into action.

The pirate reached down and tore the rope, allowing him to get free of the several hundred pound rock as he stretched his arms out to grab hold of the side of the cliff.

A loud splash was heard and the pirate looked out, searching for the piss-ant who had the balls to do something like this. Vergo saw him struggling against the currents and trying to swim to shore.

If the little shit was lucky, he'd drown before the pirate got a hold of him.

~0~

Law pulled himself onto the beach, clawing his way up the sand as he attempted to escape the tides washing over him. He used the last of his strength to role over, feeling another wave graze his legs before lazily disappearing back down the beach. The boy opened his eyes, peering out over at the sun; the top could just be seen over the horizon as the rest of its rays were slowly fading into the night. The kid smirked, completely confident that he had won this battle.

A malicious chuckle interrupted his thoughts and Law whipped his head to the side, seeing the devil himself standing just a few feet away.

"Great plan kid, but there was just one problem with it,"

The boy forced himself to sit up, pulling himself further away from the advancing pirate as his mind created a million different scenarios this day could end with.

Of course none were pleasant.

Vergo easily reached down and dragged the kid into the air by his collar, sneering into his face.

"It didn't work."

The next few minutes were nothing but a blur as nervous signals got distress warnings from almost every part of his body. His vision blended every attack into one as the kid just waited for the darkness of death to take him somewhere less painful than the Hell that was life.

Unless, of course, he had really just died long ago and was now spending eternity with Lucifer as his overseer.

Law felt himself slipping, falling into the after life…

Only to collapse onto the beach.

The boy waited a moment, thinking maybe Vergo was just catching his breath or something, but when nothing happened he looked up at his assailant, seeing him staring out across the water towards the horizon. Law followed suit and was amazed when he saw that the sun was no long in view, the last of her rays disappearing behind the vastness of the ocean.

_I win._ The kid thought just before slipping into unconsciousness.

~0~

Vergo stepped from the dinghy onto the ship with Law still passed out and slung over his shoulder. The men aboard were all amazed and some even cheered that their little crewmate had endured the worst kind of hell any of them could think up. Vergo just scoffed at their enthusiasm and continued walking across the deck. When he reached midway the pirate noticed his captain leaning against the mast casually and stopped in his tracks. Doflamingo chuckled to himself and stood straight, walking over to his subordinates.

"So, the brat survived huh? That actually surprises me." He laughed again before pulling something out of his pink feathered jacket and placing it on the boy's head. Vergo didn't have to look to see it was the kid's hat and he just smirked.

"Don't get too comfortable yet, Vergo. I've got another job for you and it ain't gonna be an easy one."

Vergo just nodded before the two men were interrupted by a cry of relief.

"Law-kun! You're back!"

The two looked back at the main doors and saw the infamous talking bear come rushing towards his friend as if they hadn't seen each other in years. Vergo plucked the kid from his shoulder and lowered him into the little bear's arms. Bepo just looked up at the man, still hesitant around anyone other than the boy in his grasp.

"Take the cheeky brat to his room and don't let him out until an adult gives the word. Understood?"

Bepo nodded quickly and raced back inside, already describing how boring his day had been without his friend to accompany him.

~0~


	10. Untrustworthy

_"Whenever he got like this he always ran straight to his room no matter where he was coming from."_

~0~

What the hell was he thinking?

_Crash._

It was like he collected every moral he had ever stood for and even considered standing for, meshed them up into an unkempt ball and set it on fire after cutting it into a million little pieces.

_Bam._

He was a coward, nothing but a backstabbing, egotistical maniac like the one he had been serving under for the past twenty years.

_Shatter._

He might as well invest in the tacky clothing and laughing lessons so he could just physically warn everyone around him before they even got to know him that he's nothing but a shorter, shittier example of the world's greatest bastard.

_Crunch._

Law stood in the center of his room, breathing heavily after having taken his anger out on the furniture around. He refused to look at the destruction and wreckage of his little tantrum, opting to fall face first on his bed. The pirate captain glared at his pillow, wondering what was going to happen next.

_Finishing the job, obviously, dumb shit._

Law grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head, hoping it would somehow muffle the voices chastising him for being nothing but a devoted fool.

Of course it didn't and the pirate missed the sound of his door being opened by a familiar figure that poked his head through the opening.

"Captain, is everything alright?" Bepo hesitantly asked, preferring not to enter until he knew the man had calmed down after all of the noise that was heard.

A pocket knife suddenly cut through the air and stabbed perfectly in the doorframe on the same level as the bear's eyes, causing him to shriek in horror and quickly close the door.

Law sighed bitterly. Why couldn't he handle these situations better?

~0~

"Who are you calling an idiot? !"

"Obviously you, do you see anyone else around dumber than you? !"

"If anyone's an idiot it's you! You have absolutely no taste!"

The senseless bickering seemed to be going on since both Shachi and Penguin left the ship a few hours earlier. The whole crew had decided to meet up at a tavern only a short distance from the ship, but these two had been locked in a heated argument since the other members ran ahead. They were so absorbed by their needless debate that they had gone around the whole archipelago without realizing it.

So when a seven foot snow-bear came barreling out of the ship at the precise moment they were passing it, neither noticed him until it was too late.

The two lay motionless under the large bear as he also lay there in mutual surprise, until the two pirates snapped out of it.

"_Bepo! Get up"_ They both shouted in unison. The snow bear quickly stood and began to apologize but Shachi grabbed his mouth before he could say anything and just glared at the talking animal.

His insistent apologies always got on the man's nerves.

Bepo just hung his head and internally apologized. The two guys passed by the snow bear, forgetting their entire argument and started a normal conversation once again, entering the ship as if it were any other day. Bepo turned back to also go up on board, slightly ashamed for (literally) running into his friends and falling on top of them before he remembered something very important about a certain member of the crew.

"Wait! The captain's in a bad mood! I don't think we should go on the ship!" he called after the two. The guys turned around and gave the bear a questioning look before Penguin spoke up.

"He said he was going to meet up with someone." The man quizzically stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe he got dumped by a girl; he does have worse luck than us!" Shachi laughed and the two went back on their way to enter the ship. Bepo reached out a paw, prepared to say something to hold them back but the two disappeared onboard.

"I think something very bad is happening." The bear stated quietly to himself before slowly clambering back on the ship.

~0~

Shachi knocked on Law's door and waited for a response. When he got nothing he knocked again.

"Captain, are you okay?"

No reply.

Shachi and Penguin exchanged a glance and shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. Shachi slowly reached for the handle and began turning it.

"We're coming in, Captain."

The two men peered around Law's door, expecting something large or sharp to be thrown their way, but when nothing happened they opened the door entirely and flicked on the lights. They exchanged another glance of worry with one another before heading for the bow of the ship.

There were only three places Trafalgar Law ever really liked being at any given time. If he wasn't in his room he was out on the bow, if he wasn't there then the last obvious place was his office, but he didn't have a patient to either of their knowledge so they headed for the bow first.

As the two crew members drew closer to the door leading to the front of the ship their pace quickened in anticipation until they were running from the suspense. When they reached the exit the two pirates practically fell over themselves in search of the Heart Pirates' captain. To their relief he was there, staring off into the thickness of the mangrove tress stretched out in front of the ship with a large crate sitting next to him and his prized sword leaning against the railing.

"Captain!" The two called together, quickly approaching Law. Said captain turned his head, regarding their presence but not engaging in any sort of conversation before turning back to his daydreaming. But his silence didn't stop either of his men from striking one up with him.

"We heard from Bepo that the Captain is in a bad mood, is this true?" Shachi asked.

"And might we ask what happened?" Penguin chimed in.

A moment passed and the captain let out a thick exhale before masking it with a chuckle. He turned to fully face his subordinates with a casual smile on his lips, leaning against the railing.

"That bear is going to worry himself to death one of these days. I'm surprised his hair hasn't turned grey yet."

Both Heart Pirate members paused a moment before smiling and chuckling at their captain's little quip.

"Yeah, he is pretty ridiculous." Penguin confessed before his curiosity got the better of him. The captain seemed to be alright, so it was probably okay to ask what he was doing with a large wooden box on deck

"And Captain, what's with the crate?" The crew member inquired. Shachi also looked like he was itching to know. Law considered it for a moment before he turned back to the view of mangroves outside the ship.

"You can open it if you'd like." Trafalgar Law offered. His subordinates looked at each other peculiarly before they approached the box. Shachi fumbled around with the clasps around the edges before both he and Penguin lifted the lid.

But what they found was not something they had been looking foreword to.

"Um… Captain? What are these?" Penguin asked cautiously. Shachi looked like he was about to throw up as they closed the lid. Law just chuckled lightly.

"I know we haven't had a critical patient for a little while, but have you already forgotten what a human heart looks like?" Law jeered at his men. The two just exchanged a glance before laughing nervously.

"Of course not, Captain! What we meant is… whose?" Shachi elaborated.

Law smiled devilishly.

"Oh you know, Anthony Shipper, Devon Cook, Suzan Nurse, Jean Barte…" The captain trailed off. He could just imagine the expressions of his subordinates as they recognized the names of their crewmates their captain was listing off.

And it broke something inside of him.

"Y-you…"

"What have you done?!"

The fury and anguish in their voices was unlike anything he had ever heard before, even when he worked on Doflamingo's ship no one sounded this desperate in front of the tyrant.

Maybe it was because he knew these two personally…?

Shachi marched up to his captain and spun him around, grabbing Law by the collar of his jacket and shaking him once.

"This isn't funny, Captain."

"Yeah, your jokes are bad, but never this bad!"

It was only until the two remarked on it that Law realized he was still smiling wickedly. He decided to just role with it and dig an even deeper hole than he was already in.

"Then you'd hate to hear what I did to get these." Law gestured at the crate before throwing his head back and bursting into laughter.

A punch landed square in his jaw. It's not like he hadn't been expecting it, but the action still hurt more than it should have.

Law returned back to his original bored expression as he looked into the eyes of his angry and distressed subordinates. The three stood like that a moment, Law silent and calculating, Shachi unable to think of anything to say, and Penguin stunned into silence.

Until their captain let another terrifying grin carve out his mouth before snapping once.

"**Room**."

Both men knew something was severely wrong with the man, but they had bigger needs and found it a more pressing matter to get out of his path. The two broke away and ran for the door only to find that it was locked.

Both of them heard the tell tale sound of their captain unsheathing his sword. They turned to meet his gaze; hard as stone and completely void of emotions.

"C-Captain, you wouldn't…" Penguin trailed off. But Law pushed his crewmate's plea from his mind and aimed his nodachi at the other man's heart.

It seemed none of his subordinates could stand up to him physically. It might also be from the shock of having their captain pull a one-eighty personality wise and being at the other end of his sword, but each of his men had gone done without too much of a fight.

However, what kind of a captain would he be if he wasn't able to protect and defeat anyone standing against his crew?

Including his own mates?

Then again, would anyone other than himself betray the Heart Pirates?

Trafalgar Law closed the lid of the crate after adding the hearts of two of his top subordinates in.

It seemed there was only one left on his list.

~0~

AN: what? oh, i'm sorry, did you want _Doflamingo_ and _Vergo_ in this story? seeing as they're main characters/actually canon?  
my bad


	11. Failure

Just a little heads up, but i kind of get carried away at the second to last section. it might be a little rough for some viewers but it isn't too bad  
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

~0~

A streak of lightning shot across the stormy night sky before a crackle of thunder rolled through the darkened clouds. Rain pelted mercilessly against the ship and port town where it was docked, threatening to wash away anything that wasn't held or weighted down. Usually nights like these didn't disturb him, but for some reason the boy couldn't sleep.

Trafalgar Law lay in his bed, feeling the rocking motion of the sea as it churned from the bad weather outside and listening to the howling of the wind blowing past his window.

Something was about to go on tonight; he just knew it.

The kid sprang out of bed, feeling that it was something too important for him to miss. He quickly dressed in some warm clothes and grabbed a lantern before heading to his door. As he shut it behind him, the boy whispered a quick "goodnight" to the bear who shared his bed before he disappeared down the hallway.

Law cautiously opened the door that led to the main deck, immediately feeling the winds from the storm brewing outside. When he found that no one was around the kid snuck out and ran to the railing, looking out on the docks for a familiar pink feathered jacket.

It seemed his intuition had been right; walking down the road in front of him was none other than Doflamingo with Vergo accompanying shortly behind.

Whatever they were up to, Law wanted to find out.

Without a moment to waste, the boy ran to the ramp leading into town. He reached the bottom just as the two men rounded a corner leading them out of sight and the boy took off down the street, careful not to make too much noise but also hustling to keep up with the captain and crew member.

It had been two weeks since the little "sparring" session with Vergo and the kid was still very wary of him. He knew that the man had chosen to hold back his power, opting to just push the kid to his limits and beyond before beating him to near death. Law had considered the thought that Vergo might want to continue the beat-down more often then he would have liked and he wasn't exactly excited for that. The experience hadn't been enjoyable or knowledgeable in any way to him and now he felt it was time to set a new plan into motion.

He was going to leave the ship. Law no longer wanted anything to do with the people who massacred his town. The kid figured any sort of trouble stirred up in the outside world would be heaven compared to the torture he had endured the past six months. Not to mention he could probably do a whole lot more than wallow over his ruined past, biding his time by waiting for the day he could kill (or at least severely injure) the eccentric captain. The only thing that held the boy back from just jumping ship and stowing away on another was that Doflamingo wasn't too fond of losing his possessions.

In other words, Law had to find a way to slip from under the captain's nose and disappear forever, or make it so Doflamingo could never search for him again. Both were huge set backs to his plan and also the reason he was following after the two men into this seedy port town. If he could find someone or something that could work to obtain his freedom, a life much more worthwhile was sure to come his way.

Law rounded another corner, still chasing after the two while taking mental notes of the people and things he passed by before realizing something was amiss in his surroundings. The boy glanced around, noticing that the men he had been following were no longer in view. But the worst part was that he had no idea where he was.

The kid sighed internally, wondering how he could have been careless enough as too get lost in his own thoughts.

Law decided to wander through the town and see if he could spot some familiar land marks when a large hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder. The kid bristled, fearing Vergo had caught him, but when he turned Law could see through the flickering light of the lantern it was just some man dressed in rags with a leering expression plastered on his face.

"Hey kid, ya lost er somethin'?" He asked, a heavy accent laced with alcohol hinting that he was either from some foreign country or just drunk beyond all recognition.

"Why don't we help 'im out?" Came another voice from behind the kid.

"That's a nice coat ya got there."

"How much do ya think he goes for?"

Law decided to go with the second theory.

Loud and harsh laughter came from the men now encircling the kid. Law narrowed his eyes and decided to get off this street before he was abducted and sold for a bottle of liquor.

Or used for entertainment purposes.

He moved to escape when another hand reached out and pulled the hat off of his head.

"Give that back!" The kid called through the snickers and chuckles before kicking the thief in the shins and snatching his fuzzy hat back. The man yelled out in pain and an unexpected fist suddenly connected with his jaw, sending the boy flying into a wall while the lantern slipped from his grasp and shattering on the ground as the heavy rain extinguished the flame. Law coughed and sat up.

"Now what was that for?"

"We was just trying tah have a good time!"

Another fist went into his gut and Law was surprised by the power behind both attacks; they were almost as strong or even on par with Vergo. The kid coughed, tasting blood in his mouth as he tried to get his bearings back but another punch collided with his temple, sending him to the ground. Law pushed himself up, attempting to steady his vision as figures swam uneasily past his eyes.

The collar of his shirt was suddenly engulfed by one of the men's hands as he was brought up to eye level. Law could smell the rum on his breath as he inhaled and exhaled noisily and the boy tried to move away from the putrid stench.

Suddenly, a loud "thud" was heard as one of the men was sent flying into a wall. Law turned as far as he could and saw a familiar figure coming out of the shadows.

"Who the hell are…" The man dressed in rags was suddenly cut off by a casual fist in his face as Vergo approached the man holding Law in the air. Before he had an opportunity to assess his situation the kid was dropped unceremoniously on the ground as the man stood ready to defend himself from the violent pirate.

But he stood no chance and was easily knocked unconscious. Law sat up, staring at his fighting instructor beating the crap out of the group of men for a moment before he felt a familiar sensation course through his body. Without much warning, Law was forced into a standing position before being quickly led through the streets by his own two feet. He stared down at them in astonishment as his legs refused to obey any orders he sent them to stop. The boy was suddenly brought to a halt in front of another familiar figure and he paled slightly, waiting for some sort of punishment as he stood in front of Doflamingo.

But the elder just scowled at the younger before turning on his heal and twitching a finger, causing Law to stumble foreword and follow after him as the sounds of men getting beaten to a pulp receded further into the distance as the captain and doctor continued to walk away.

~0~

Law sat on a bar stool in the lobby of some shady business in the bowels of the city, shivering under several blankets from his excursion in the pouring rain. Doflamingo and Vergo had disappeared behind a door at the other end of the room and the boy wasn't able to go listen through it since the receptionist kept glaring daggers his way every time he so much as breathed. He had also been told by the blond captain to stay put or receive a lesson in manners later by none other than Vergo.

It seemed in his best interests to listen for now, but thoughts of escaping the ship danced around in the kid's mind, teasing him about how futile they were.

The boy sighed out of boredom, catching a hateful glare of the woman behind her desk from the corner of his eye. He leaned against the counter behind him and stared up at the ceiling, counting the discolored water spots to fill his time.

Law unexpectedly heard something muffled outside and turned, noticing two men walking down the streets. They were much better dressed than the group that had attacked him earlier and their conversation peeked his interest when he finally caught wind of what they were talking about.

Of course, they were speaking in another language, but their lack of accents just highlighted a few things he needed to hear; "nitroglycerine" and "Sobrero".

Law wasn't sure who Sobrero was but he had to be someone important. The boy watched as the two men crossed the street and entered the door directly across from where he was, a smile spreading across his mouth.

It seemed he had the devil's luck this evening.

~0~

It was the next evening and Law sat against the mast on the bow of the ship, thankful that the rain had stopped earlier while watching crew members busy themselves coming on and off the vessel. He heard plenty of conversations complaining about the prices of items and bickering over trifling matters, but one thing was for certain amongst the gossiping men; they were all planning on heading out to a bar as a whole and drinking the place dry. This statement was backed up by the fact that more men were leaving then coming aboard.

The kid smirked. It seemed tonight was the perfect night for his plan to unfold. Law stood up before heading off to his room, taking note of who was coming and going. It seemed Vergo and Doflamingo were off doing something again which made the boy even more anxious. Law stopped in front of his door, opening it to reveal the only company he had in the room napping on his bed. The kid smirked, reminding himself to reprimand the bear for not reading the books he had told him to. Next he crept quietly over to his laboratory to ogle his two tickets to freedom one last time. He entered the room and immediately went for the island counter, kneeling in front of it and opening the bottom drawer.

The impatient smile on the boy's features grew fiendishly as he stared down at two perfectly wrapped bundles of dynamite. It had taken his entire month's allowance and having to sell some of his medical equipment, which was extremely overpriced in his opinion, but every cent was worth it.

Law rubbed his hands together in anticipation before a noise almost made him jump through the ceiling.

"What'cha got there?" The kid whirled around to face the intruder, ready to fight whom ever it was only to sigh in relief. Bepo stood in the doorway, wiping the drowsiness from his eyes as he looked at his friend with a sleepy expression. The boy spoke.

"It seems you've had a productive afternoon. How are those books I gave you to read?" Law crossed his arms and gave the bear a teasing expression when the animal bristled a moment before twiddling his thumbs nervously. Bepo didn't do much on the ship and Law had a sinking feeling at a possible reason why his friend was allowed to stay. Why else would the bastard of a captain let the boy have someone he actually cared about onboard other then to use it against him? Law figured if he could make the bear useful to Doflamingo then the psychotic blond wouldn't throw him overboard the next time the kid did something stupid.

Of course, it did turn out to be a daunting task.

"But they're so boring and I can hardly understand any of the words in them! Do you really think they're fun?" The bear asked. Law sighed lightly, shaking his head and stood up before walking over to his friend.

"I wouldn't say that they're fun, but they do have a lot of useful information in them." Bepo raised an eyebrow as the kid grabbed the bear's arm, pulling him over to the drawer. Bepo peered down curiously at what could be inside as Law continued speaking.

"For example, they can tell me all of the recipes in the world for any kind of cake or sweets," That got the bear's attention and Law could see a sparkle in his friend's eyes.

"Or how to properly mix nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and glycerin without blowing anything up."

A look of confusion crossed the bear's expression as he tried to understand what Law just said.

"Or at least until the right time." The kid reached down into the drawer and grabbed each bundle of dynamite, handing them off to Bepo.

"I don't understand…" The bear said, looking confused at what was just handed to him.

"Don't be so dense." Law said, closing the drawer. He turned to his friend with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"We're going to blow up the ship."

It took a moment for the information to sink in and when Bepo finally realized just what was in his hands he nearly dropped the explosives.

"WHAT?"

~0~

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Law crouched down next to his friend after returning from the ship. Their temporary base was set up in a small alley that had a fairly good view of the vessel. The boy figured it would be better to know who was going on and off the ship, but a direct view was too easy to spot him and the bear.

The kid pulled out a remote.

"You have a bad feeling about lots of things. And I thought I was supposed to be the pessimistic one."

Law set the remote between himself and Bepo, eyeing it warily before returning back to the situation at hand. The boy then pulled out two spying Den-Den Mushis and set them just in front of the remote before nodding in satisfaction.

Law could hear Bepo gulp exaggeratedly from fear.

"This is a terrible idea." The bear said, practically only to himself. Law rolled his eyes.

"If you keep saying crap like that then it's going to be." The boy scooted over to a wall of the alley, propping himself against it so he could just barely see the entrance to the ship.

"There's a Den-Den Mushi in both Doflamingo's and Vergo's rooms. Once we hear that they're both inside I'll push the button and we'll stow away on the next ship out of here. Deal?" Law held out his hand to seal their resolve. He knew that the bear wouldn't run away but felt it was reassuring to hear the plan spelled out as simply as possible. Bepo stared at his friend a moment before hesitantly taking his hand and shaking it up and down.

"Deal." He quietly stated.

Law turned away from Bepo and set his gaze on the intimidating ship in front of him, praying his plan went well so he would never have to see that prison and its occupants again.

~0~

Somebody grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him violently. Law woke up immediately and became as alert and functional as a drowsy eight-year-old could muster to be. The kid screwed his knuckles into his eyes, forcing himself to stay awake after his unintentional nap.

"Wake up! I think they're here." Bepo urgently warned his friend. The boy sat up and looked across the docks, spying the tall captain and his first mate making their way to the ship. Law smirked.

"Is anyone else on board?" He asked. Bepo just shook his head.

"No one, they're all at the tavern down the street."

Law crawled over to the Den-Den Mushis and tapped on their shells to make sure they were still operating correctly as well. The snails squirmed a bit from the harshness of his jabs and continued their jobs of transmitting every sound coming from the rooms of the two men. Law rubbed his hands together in anticipation, the smile on his face giving away his demented joy. The boy glanced over at his friend and noticed the bear giving him a suspicious look.

"What?"

The bear quickly looked away, trying to hide his shame but failing miserably so he spoke in a whisper.

"…you look just like…"

The boy gave him a confused glance, signaling for Bepo to repeat himself but the bear silently refused, knowing he already said too much.

It suddenly hit him. Law stared at his friend in shear horror before angrily standing up.  
"Don't you say that! Don't you EVER say that! I'm nothing like that bastard captain, understand? !" Bepo cowered at the boy's harsh tone and hid his face in his hands. Law continued to glare down at his friend for several moments before a sudden noise caught his attention. A Den-Den Mushi was picking up the sounds of a door opening and closing before the noise of furniture was heard shifting.

Law's heart jumped into his mouth. The two kids stayed silent and were rewarded with the other snail transmitting the same noises in the other room. The boys looked at each other with bulging eyes before Law dropped to his knees to grab the remote. He stared at the contraption, remembering from the guy he got the materials from, Sobrero, that all he had to do was twist the key on the side and push the red button.

All it took was two simple motions and the ship would be engulfed in explosions and fire.

Law swallowed heavily, reminding himself of his reasons, repeating over and over about his plans to get away with Bepo before anything crueler could befall his or his friend's life.

Law grabbed the key and remembered his parents lying on the dock of his home town, unable to carry out the simple tasks of living ever again and how he hadn't had the chance to have a simple life in his village. He remembered the anguished screams and pleads as the psychotic captain walked away from the little port town, laughing at their torment as the boy could only watch his childhood go up in flames.

The boy turned the key and held his thumb over the button, cursing lightly and glancing at his friend. Bepo had his head in his hands again and was visibly shaking. Law gave him a weary smile, knowing that this wasn't in any way an ethical solution to go about things, but he refused to acknowledge that fact and refocused on his initial goal. Law squeezed his eyes shut and proceeded.

"For freedom."

It really was a simple task; turn a key then push a button, and with that one last movement Law could feel all of his troubles washing away as if nothing more than dirt sliding down a sewage drain. The boy looked up, hoping to see his money's worth, but it wasn't necessary. The sounds of explosions and splintering wood gave away that that part of his plan had worked. Fire immediately engulfed the sails as pieces of debris flew through the air, landing on the dock and soaring into the ocean behind the ship.

Both the bear and the kid could barely believe what they were seeing. Law suddenly jumped up, shouting for joy before grapping Bepo and pulling him to his feet.

"Come on! I've already gone around the docks and there's a ship that looks perfect for us!" Law tugged on the bear's arm and began running out of the alley, towing his friend behind him and grinning like an idiot. He hadn't been this excited in a long time and he felt like nothing could ruin it.

But the kid couldn't help the ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe it was his conscious chiding him for killing two people? Regardless if they were sadistic maniacs or not, they were still human.

All of a sudden Law stopped, knowing all too well the feeling that was coursing through his veins. His blood chilled as the realization of his situation slowly sank in and all of the color drained from the boy's face. The kid slowly turned towards the burning wreckage he was stopped in front of and saw something he had been hoping to rid from the rest of his life.

Standing on the dock with the light of the fire dancing across his terrifying silhouette was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo. The boy suddenly felt something twitching in his hand and instantly knew it was his friend shivering from the sight in front of them.

Law felt that if expressions could kill he'd be dead several times over.

"Bepo, run."

Law could feel the shaking intensify and he looked back at the pirate captain. Strolling out of the fire was another familiar person and the boy's expression became graver. He tried to move his feet but his legs refused to cooperate and all the boy could do was tug on his friend's arm.

"Get out of here!" He shouted over the roar of the fire. He glared intensely into the bear's eyes and shoved him ahead. Bepo turned around.

"I can't leave! Not without you!"

Law swore under his breath and caught sight of the two men approaching. The urgency of his situation was intensifying by the second and Law was running out of options.

"Listen! I'll be fine, but you have to get out of here!" He pushed his friend again and hoped he'd get the message.

"I won't!"

Law could feel the ominous presence of the captain and first mate approaching, the flurry of butterflies in his stomach warning him of the impending doom.

"Law, you should be more thankful for your friend." The boy swiveled and found that Doflamingo was standing only an arm's length away. He slowly raised his eyes until they met the captain's enraged expression and felt as if he shrank even further into the floor beneath him.

"After all, it's not every day you meet someone who's willing to throw away their life for you." The man reached out an arm and Law cowered, expecting to be hit and beaten up for everything he had done, to be thrashed senselessly until he was unconscious or even dead. But instead the captain grabbed the boy's upper arm and hoisted the kid onto his hip, holding him as if a small child who was crying after dropping his ice cream. Law's eyes flew open, a look of complete fear on his face as the pirate chuckled low and menacingly.

A cry was suddenly heard and the boy's eyes widened even further as he turned to see where it came from.

Bepo lay there on the docks, hand on his nose and tears in the corner of each eye. Law thrashed around in the captain's arms but the man's grip was too strong.

"Don't hurt him! It wasn't his fault!" He yelled out, desperate to save his only friend. The boy heard another low rumbling of chuckles as Doflamingo raised a hand and secured the boy's chin with a few fingers.

"Oh my poor, misguided little Law." Doflamingo purred in a hushed tone. Another cry of pain rang from the boy's friend and he tried to turn and yell out again only to be held firmly in place. He stared in horror at the sickening grin on the captain's face as Bepo continued to get the brunt of the beating. Doflamingo leaned in closer.

"Weaklings can't pick their way of death." His wicked smile seemed to grow impossibly larger, carving at imaginable angles until a fit of giggles came over the pirate. Doflamingo pulled the boy's face closer before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and letting go of his chin. The captain turned and started walking away, heading into town. Law looked over the man's shoulder and saw Vergo holding Bepo in the air with an angry scowl distorting his face.

Doflamingo bounced the kid once on his hip, repositioning him and smiling sinisterly. Law swallowed heavily and decided to test what little of his luck was left.

"W-where are we going?" He asked through chattering teeth. But the captain's expression didn't change as he spoke.

"Don't tell me you thought you'd get off scot-free." He cooed in the boy's ear. A shiver ran down Law's spine as he regretted his question.

"Your punishment comes from behind closed doors."

~0~

***WARNING: SOME CONTENT MAY BE EXCESSIVLY VIOLENT AND CRUEL***

It was cold in this room and the air was damp, smelling as if the only things that had disturbed the walls in the last hundred years were its current occupants. Trafalgar Law sat in a corner, trying his best to shut out the events currently taking place in his life and ignoring the convection of the air as it sent breezes across his shivering frame.

Somehow, only ten minutes had passed by. He knew, because he had counted every second in between each strike and focused on the numbers instead of counting the bruises he'd likely see in the morning.

Law shivered again, wishing he'd at least been given something thicker than his skin to cover himself up with.

He heard ice clink in a glass and glanced at the man sitting in a chair from the corner of his eye. Doflamingo sat there nonchalantly, casually having a drink of whatever was in the glass bottle on the table next to him. The bastard had sat there and watched it all, watched as his subordinate strolled in like it was just any other day and watched as Law was pounded further and further into the stone floor beneath him.

The boy saw a shape move in the corner and tensed, drawing his knees closer to his body and willing the two men to just leave him to rot in this cell. A chuckle reverberated off of the walls and Law watched as the captain gave a signal to his subordinate in the corner. Vergo approached his boss and bent over as Doflamingo whispered in his ear. The man gave a nod and, to the kid's horror, came over to him.

The pirate grabbed Law by his scalp and hoisted him into the air before tossing him at the captain's feet. The boy could feel the skin on his knees and forearms split open as he made a rough landing. He tried to raise his vision higher than Doflamingo's shoes only to have his face driven into the ground by Vergo's boot.

"Fufufufu." Another clink resounded through the room as the pirate set down his drink. Law shivered on the cold ground.

"Tell me, boy, have you ever heard of the Kingdom of Alabasta?" Doflamingo casually asked. Law was confused by the question but figured it wouldn't hurt any more than the past ten minutes if he answered.

"Y-yes sir." He answered between clattering teeth. Law had read of it in one of his books a while back and remembered some of the details of the desert capital. The boy could hear the devious smile spread across the captain's lips before he shifted one ankle to rest on top of his other knee. He spoke.

"Before I became a pirate I met the king of that city and his son, Prince Cobra Nefertari."

Vergo lifted his boot and reached down, grabbing a fistful of Law's hair and hoisting him up to sit in a kneeling position. The boy knew he'd get punished again if he lifted his eyes, so he stayed hunched over with each hand resting on its corresponding leg. Doflamingo continued.

"The King told me that the only difference between a king and a peasant were the clothes on their backs." The pirate paused a moment and laughed devilishly at his own memory. Law imagined him grinning sinisterly before pressing on with his story.

"I'm sure he meant it in some sappy speech to coerce his following sheep that anyone can rise out of an impoverished society." Law heard the shifting of fabric behind him before Vergo's foot connected with his head and forced him to bow over. Law whimpered as his forehead was smashed into the ground.

"But by applying that logic and considering those with only their skin and bones to keep them warm at night…" Doflamingo trailed off lightly and Law heard the cork pop off of the liquor bottle as he thought the captain was going to pour himself another drink. But the boy didn't hear the telltale sound of the booze being transferred from one glass container to another, instead he felt it running down his back. Law stiffened and shivered as the liquid left icy trails down his bare skin, dripping into pools around his legs and burning the fresh cuts. Doflamingo laughed darkly.

"Those without even the simplest of clothing can be considered nothing greater than the shit stuck between the toes of a slave as he works his master's field."

Tears came to the boy's eyes as he wished for nothing more than to go home. He knew that his plan was an utter failure, knew that if he ever managed to escape that he'd be tracked down like game in a hunt, and he knew that he himself could never even hope of standing up to Vergo or Doflamingo when they were at full strength. The thought of failing before he could even start anything made the boy cry harder.

But it seemed matters could get worse as Law heard something so simple that he thought he'd never be afraid of it until this day.

Vergo struck a match.

The reaction was almost instantaneous as the kid tried to struggle out from underneath the man's boot, but his head stayed firmly planted where it was. A whistle came from Doflamingo before he remarked on his subordinate's actions.

"You really are one cruel son of a bitch, aren't you?" The captain cackled with laughter before standing up; "Do what you want, but I'm not sticking around to have the smell of burnt flesh stuck in my clothes."

Vergo scoffed, lifting his boot from Law's head and the boy immediately backed away until he ran into Doflamingo's leg. He recoiled quickly, fearing for the worst only to have his upper arm yanked into the air as he was seated again on the captain's hip. The pink feathered coat was then wrapped around the boy, the heat from the pirate quickly seeping into his frigid skin.

And with that, Doflamingo left the cell with Law in tow, confused and shaking from the memories and fear of what his future was to bring.

***END OF WARNING***

~0~

Law lay curled up on a bed in some hotel Doflamingo had dumped him in, his expression blank and mind wandering. He had already cleaned himself up and was now just waiting to fall asleep, hoping beyond belief he'd wake up somewhere else. He wasn't quite sure where, but at the moment anywhere seemed like a better option.

A soft knock was heard on his door and Law ignored it, opting to role over and hoped it went away.

Then someone crashed through the door.

Law sprung up and stared in bewilderment at what asshole could possibly want to make his night even more horrible than it already was only to be engulfed (literally) in a bear hug.

"Law-kun!" Bepo practically covered the boy entirely in his fur coat and threatened to reopen every wound on his body. Law cringed at the thought.

"Bepo, you're crushing me!" He gasped out at his friend. The bear immediately got up and apologized, trying to lift his shirt to make sure he was alright. The kid swatted the fuzzy paw away and playfully furrowed his brows before returning the hug, thankful that his only friend was still around. The bear began babbling about how he was sorry for what he said earlier, sorry he could save him and that he was sorry for everything that happened to the boy. Law pulled away.

"You shouldn't be apologizing." Law said sternly. Bepo just looked at him in confusion and the boy continued.

"I should be. It was my plan and my stupidity that got us into this and that got you hurt." Law traced the scratch across his friend's nose and Bepo sneezed. The boy smiled and wrapped his arms around his furry friend.

"I promise, I'll never let anything hurt you again."

~0~


	12. Mysteries

It wasn't often he did something out of kindness or obligation to his fellow man. Not to mention whenever somebody asked him for a helping hand there had to be a justifiable reward in the end. Truth be told, he couldn't even remember the last time he preformed a deed from the goodness of his heart. He felt it was a waste of time and a sign of weakness or defeat to do anything without profiting more than anyone else in a situation. If the world is so cruel, why should he be any different?

So why did he allow this brat to stay on his ship? Sure, the boy was useful when it came to medical needs and something to jeer at for entertainment, but beyond that the kid contributed nothing to him.

In fact, his latest stunt proved just how much of a financial disaster he was.

Doflamingo stared down at his object of interest, watching the steady rise and fall of the young doctor's chest while the kid slept peacefully through the chilling night.

A heavy breath curled out of Trafalgar Law's mouth as he shifted positions slightly.

With the light of the moon shining through the boy's window Doflamingo could see the peacefulness of a night's rest on the kid's features, relaxing his face as if there wasn't a care in the world.

Doflamingo continued to stare, trying to internally understand why he chose to put up with this cheeky brat. For the longest time the only crew member he felt was interesting enough to keep around permanently was Vergo. Everyone else could be brutally slaughtered in front of his eyes and the only regret he'd have would be taking some time out of his schedule to stop by some port town and recruit a few new mindless workers who could do whatever he told them without a fuss. And it was strange; usually he found it entertaining to watch Vergo work and to hear the screams of pain mixed with fear as the man beat the living daylights out of his victims, but with this kid he found it rather unsettling.

The very thought of "caring" for the boy made his stomach churn. After all, the pirate captain could count the number of living people he felt emotion for on one hand no matter how fleetingly small he considered the feeling and whether it was hatred or otherwise. Everyone else was just dust in the wind, serving only to move him foreword in his aspirations.

Doflamingo suddenly noticed that a lock of hair had shifted over one of the kid's eyes. He considered it for a moment before reaching out an index finger and repositioning the few pieces back to their original place. The boy didn't move as the pirate's digit trailed across his forehead and ran along the length of the strands until they slipped from his finger.

The pirate captain scoffed quietly, returning his hand to his side. He really was getting old if he was treating the little punk in front of him as if his own son.

No, more like a little brother.

The thought made him want to laugh even harder but he felt it would be better if the kid didn't wake up. Doflamingo just settled for grinning wickedly before turning on his heal and heading for the exit.

He took one last lingering glance at the kid before departing the room as quietly as he had entered and pretending nothing more than a breeze had passed under the door.

~0~

i know, i know, short chapter. BUT i will have to say this was probably more difficult to write than chapter 11 (which says a lot for 590 words)  
opinions? is it too frilly for our demon-captain? the man who's hellbent on killing everyone who even slightly displeases him?  
and don't worry, the -piece de resistance- will be up soon, this was pretty much just drabble


	13. Turnaround

Trafalgar Law gripped the edge of the porcelain sink until his knuckles ached, listening to the sound of running water as he concentrated on breathing regularly. Images of his crew kept flickering across his mind but he pushed them aside, trying to maintain his focus on other pressing matters. But every time he'd push, more would appear.

Laughter, joy, grief, sorrow, kindness, anger, and every other emotion imaginable was associated with these flashbacks. He couldn't recall a time other than between when he first set out on the Grand Line and now, when he was so close to breaking through to The New World, where he had been so expressive around so many people. The adventure and the company just seemed to pull all of those wonderful feelings out and throw them into the open.

And now those experiences would be gone forever, nothing more than memories of the past, and that was what truly frightened him.

Something twisted and tightened in his chest, causing Law to bring a hand up to the left side as if he could stop the hurting just by touching it. No, he knew this pain wouldn't go away as easily as that. He could remember the same feeling from all those years ago as he watched his home town disappear into the horizon, only now the pain was ten times as great. His crew was gone, save for one.

A few small knocks came to the door of the surgical room he had locked himself in. Law smiled bitterly; he had desperately hoped the bear and long time friend of his had understood his confliction and ran out of the submarine long ago, but somewhere deep down he was thankful that Bepo had stuck around.

Law stood up straight and shut the water off when he heard a few more knocks that had grown louder. He left his nodachi leaning between the wall and the sink and casually walked over to the door, turned the lock, and pulled on the knob. Bepo stood a few paces away from the entrance and made no sign of moving any closer. Law couldn't blame him though, the bear probably had an idea of what was going on or at least knew that the pirate captain was up to no good. They stood like that for a moment, eyes locked on each other until Bepo spoke.

"Captain…" The word was barely audible and would have been lost to the wind if the two hadn't been in the confined space of the submarine. The bear looked torn between wanting to flee and wanting to know if his best friend was actually doing alright. Law smirked lightly before turning back into the room.

"Former." He threw the word over his shoulder as if this was just any old conversation. Law approached one of the surgical tables and began absentmindedly reorganizing tools that had been carelessly left out. Bepo came slowly into the room.

"W-what do you mean?" The bear asked tentatively. Law scoffed and expertly chucked a knife into an open drawer, returning it to its place without having to walk over.

"You know exactly what I mean." He bit out, expression dropping from neutral to slightly peeved. He gathered up other misplaced tools and walked them over to the drawers. If it weren't for the fact that Law had very recently disembodied the hearts of his crew members he would be needing to seriously lecture the guys about how to properly put this stuff away. The dark humor made him shake his head as he opened more drawers and cabinets.

"It's him again, isn't it?"

The question caught him off guard and Law immediately stopped what he was doing, only sensible enough to not lose his grip on a few beakers or else they would shatter on the ground. The pirate recovered himself quickly but made no move to answer his friend's question as he continued to put the equipment away. Law heard the clogging of the bear's boots but refused to turn around and face him. Bepo stopped directly behind the man, but Law didn't need to see his face to know it was twisted with a worried expression.

"You said he was gone, that we shouldn't worry about him any more."

Law's grip on a stethoscope tightened; he did indeed remember making those claims and he was amazed he could fool his friend into believing them for this long.

"I promise a lot of things I can't keep." Was all he said, shutting the cabinets and drawers, but still not turning to face the bear. He couldn't bring himself to acknowledge his sins quite yet and chose to ignore them for as long as possible instead. The two stood in silence for a moment before Bepo spoke up once more.

"I hate that, you know." The cryptic message made Law furrow his brows in confusion, but he remained quiet as the bear continued. "I hate it when you do everything yourself."

_Oh._

Law had to admit he wasn't the best at asking for help and he knew that quality grated on Bepo's nerves, but he also knew Bepo wouldn't stand a chance against the feather clad Shichibukai. The pirate only lowered his head and tightened his fists as he was pushed further between a rock and a hard place.

"You're my friend and I want to help you whenever you're in trouble…"

"It's not your problem to deal with." Law quickly interjected, hoping to put an end to this discussion somehow.

"It is my problem! Why should you carry everything on your back? I should…"

"Enough! Don't worry about someone like me, I can take care of myself."

"But Captain…" Bepo was suddenly cut off when he had to catch one of Law's fists before it connected with his furry nose. The bear stared down at the man, stiffening slightly from fear as he noticed the anger emanating from the pirate's glare.

"Law, you…" Bepo trailed off before he could articulate his thoughts. Law only grew more impatient.

"What? Just say it already!" He wasn't in the mood to fight with Bepo, nor was he in any good situation to be around the bear. Maybe if he could find some way to smuggle his friend into safety…?

"Your eyes, they look just like his." Law paused, trying to understand everything he was told. Again, if they had been anywhere other than some sort of confined space the pirate wouldn't have been able to register what the bear said. But since they weren't, Law heard every single word. The anger in his eyes intensified and Bepo took a slight step back, immediately regretting his every word.

"I'm nothing like that son of a bitch!" Law lashed out with his other fist which was also caught by the bear. Bepo said nothing as the man stood, seething in his friend's grasp. Gradually, Trafalgar Law began to calm down, breathing slower and relaxing his arms until they were limp in Bepo's paws. They fell to his sides, his hands still clasped by the bear as Law leaned his forehead against his friend's chest. The pirate scoffed lightly, marveling at how little he had changed since he and Bepo were small.

It was unfair how cruel life was.

But then again, was there really something out in the world that was responsible for every misfortune that's befallen his life? Could he really blame his problems on some outside force, on life itself, when everything leading up until now was his fault? Even if he didn't know the stranger on the dock of his home town was a psychopath, even if he was some bright-eyed and sympathetic kid just trying to help out his fellow man, and even if he never meant to sail the Grand Line on Doflamingo's ship, all of those events happened with his consent and now he was forced to live with the repercussions. Life always spits out some regrettable events but it's how a person manipulates those situations to favor themselves that defines who they're going to be in the end.

A dark and creepy smile suddenly etched into the pirate's lips as a devious plot unfolded in his mind. Bepo noticed the change in the atmosphere and looked down at his friend before hesitantly questioning what was on the man's mind.

"Captain…? Is there something wrong?"

A chilling snicker was all the bear received before Law freed his hands and took a few steps back.

"**Room**"

Bepo froze as the pirate's devil fruit powers activated. He watched the diabolical smile unfold even wider on the man's face until it seemed all of his teeth were visible. Law reached out and grabbed a pen that was just sitting out on the counter and Bepo swore he could hear the man humming.

"**Shambles**"

The nodachi suddenly appeared in his hand while the pen was sent to the other side of the room. Bepo took another hesitant step back as Law grasped the weapon in both hands before slowly drawing out the blade. The sound of steel rang through the room as Trafalgar Law removed the scabbard and pointed the weapon between his first mate's eyes. Bepo fearfully stared at the point but refused to move another step.

The bear was either an idiot or the greatest friend a guy could get and a mixture of the two qualities was definitely something Law needed at the moment.

The pirate's expression became more calculating before he ran his nodachi through the air, narrowly missing Bepo and slicing one of the surgical tables off to the side in half. The bear bristled and managed to suppress a shriek as the pirate raised his sword back to its original position.

"Why won't you let me help you? You always did before!"

Another slash and the cabinets on the bear's other side were split in two. Law took a step foreword and placed the sword's tip under his friend's jaw.

"There's no turning back now." The former pirate captain stated practically to himself. In a few swift and graceful movements, Law was left standing with a rather large heart sitting delicately in his hand. Bepo collapsed to his knees, both from the shock and ghostly sensation of having one of his most important organs removed from his chest. Law stared down unemotionally at his first mate for a moment before turning on his heals, disregarding everything that had just happened and sheathing his nodachi.

Just as he reached the door, a voice called out to him.

"Be safe."

Law bristled and his hand recoiled from the door knob.

"I don't know what you plan to do with our hearts, but I know it must be important. I trust you more than anyone else."

His fingers twitched ever so slightly but Law only shook his head and reached out again to turn the knob. The pirate paused just as the door began to open and a little smirk broke out on his lips.

"Hey, Bepo," Law unexpectedly said. He wasn't entirely sure what drove him to speak up when his initial plan was to do Doflamingo's dirty work without a word, hoping his crew would chalk it up to him finally going insane and fear him, no longer wanting to follow the man on adventures so he could head out for The New World by himself. After all, he had already put them in enough danger as is. Maybe the reason he was reaching out to his friend with a few departing words was because he knew Bepo would rather die than betray him no matter what Law might do to hurt or scare the talking animal. Something about possibly breaking their bond forged through years of hardships caused the man to regret his recent actions more than he already did. He knew the bear had perked up and was listening but the lack of an answer made him wait for a moment before continuing.

"Remember that time when we were kids and I told you goblins lived under the bed and would come out to drink your blood every night?" There was a tense and questioning pause between the two before Bepo hesitantly spoke up.

"Well, yeah. I couldn't sleep for days!" Bepo replied. Law smiled fondly at the childish prank as an airy chuckle escaped his lips. He had to admit that he was one of the most cynical children to ever set foot on the planet and probably shouldn't have read so many horror novels growing up.

"And remember when I convinced you peaches were grown in nuclear sludge and if you ate too many you'd die?" Law's hand continued to rest on the door knob as he reminisced a few more memories. They reminded him of times when life was a little easier; not ideal, but definitely more tolerable than today. This time the bear answered more quickly.

"Yeah! They were my favorite but after that I couldn't get myself to eat one for a really long time." The tension was letting up and the pirate could feel himself loosening from their conversation as the constant stress that had been built up on his shoulders for what seemed like an eternity was now slowly disappearing.

"And the time I told you bears had gils and could breath under water?"

"I almost drowned!"

Law's grin suddenly vanished as he considered one final memory that had been popping up more often nowadays. It was one that he held dear and promised himself to never forget.

"And remember the time I convinced you to help me blow up Doflamingo's ship and him and Vergo along with it, do you remember what I told you when we were in that run-down hotel room?"

There was a much more lengthy pause as the bear searched his mind for what the pirate was asking.

"I remember." Bepo said confidently. Law smiled with bitter joy and slowly raised two fingers as if preparing to snap.

"I just wanted you to know I don't always lie." The man struck his digits together, snapping once as he stood in the doorway. There was a dull thud behind him but Law didn't need to turn around to know it was the bear's unconscious body. In fact, he couldn't. If he did, the pirate was sure he would never be able to recover from the shock and the horror. Law pushed the door open and quickly closed it behind him, pressing his back against the wood and letting out a ragged sigh.

"Thank you." Trafalgar Law quietly stated as if someone was actually in the hallway to listen to him. "For always being around."

~0~

Law descended the gangplank onto a dock in Sabaody Archipelago, knowing exactly who was waiting for him at the end before he disembarked the ship. Leaning against the nearest mangrove with a large crate sitting at his feet was the demonic Shichibukai himself, Donquixote Doflamingo. A crooked smile adorned the lunatic's features as the pirate rookie made his way over to the other man.

"Fufufufu, any trouble collecting the last piece?" The blonde captain mockingly asked. Law glared up at him momentarily before lifting the lid to the crate and gently placing the organ in along with the other rhythmically beating hearts. The pirate's reflexes suddenly kicked in, causing him to quickly draw his hands back before the lid was slammed down on his fingers. He looked up and was met with the Cheshire cat smile of his long-time boss. Doflamingo's foot rested on the crate as the very tall man leaned over to meet his subordinate eye to eye.

"I'd interoperate your silence as an aggreement but if I were to do that then you'd be disobeying my direct orders, hmm?" The man's face looked more and more like an extorting salesman the longer he spoke. Law blanched slightly at the fact that the Shichibukai noticed he had gone easy on his crew by ignoring the second part of his assignment. The pirate rookie tried to mentally prepare himself for what the other was about to tell him but found it impossible to wrap his head around.

"You should know better than to be defiant to me," The elder threatened, reaching out a hand and wrapping his fingers around the other pirate's jaw. Law glared intensely as his face was so easily squished in Doflamingo's grasp. The taller man snickered and pulled the rookie closer to himself, forcing the younger to stand on his tip-toes or be choked. The two were so close Law could practically see through the man's purple shades and caught a few glimpses of his piercing eyes. A throaty chuckle broke through the silence before the Shichibukai spoke. "But with such splendid performances you've shown, I've decided to postpone the slaughtering of your crew."

Law blinked in astonishment. He didn't know whether to be excited that his mates had been taken off of Doflamingo's hit list or to be absolutely livid by the fact that the bastard found this whole situation so damned entertaining.

"I've just thought of something much more interesting." The blonde confided. Doflamingo reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of folded papers before handing them to the pirate rookie in front of him. He released Law's face only to clamp his hand down on top of the younger's head.

The pirate grumbled under his breath as he took the offered papers. If there was something trivial he detested more than anything about this man, Law concluded it was that he was still treated like a little brat by him. Suddenly, the hand was removed from his head along with his favorite hat. But before Law could protest another was shoved over his hair until it was covering his eyes while the original was tossed into the water near his submarine. He quickly pushed the brim up, glowering at Doflamingo before taking notice to the papers in his hand.

"Wanted posters?" Law asked. He leafed through them, noticing a few bounties just shy of one hundred million while the lowest looked to be around twenty million.

"Instead of massacring your little friends I'll let you run wild on the archipelago in search of all of these big bounties. Once you bring me a total of one hundred hearts I'll determine whether you're finished working or not." The Shichibukai turned on his heels and began strolling away, no doubt with a sinister and victorious grin carved into his face after demanding another horrendous task to be completed by the pirate rookie. Law stared exasperatedly at the papers in his hands, wondering what it would be like if he had never gotten in league with this man.

"Oh, and Law?" The aforementioned pirate looked up, genuinely surprised that the bastard actually remembered his name.

"One more screw up and I'll really have to dispose of you this time."

Doflamingo turned back around and he continued off to God-only-knows where. Law glared after the retreating figure as his most brilliant plan popped up once more to the front of his mind.

_If only you knew._

~0~

Law stood over the unconscious body of…  
_Wait, who was this again?_ The pirate asked himself. He flipped through a few of the wanted posters and came to a picture which vaguely resembled the bloodied mess in front of him. The name read "Bill Turner" but the price on his head wasn't very high on his list so Law made quick with his work and moved on to find the next victim. Screams of terror and gunshots rang out in the air as the 200 million bounty sauntered down the streets looking for any pirate standing out from the crowd of bystanders.

It had been painfully easy to round up the lesser prices and there was just one pirate who had managed to elude his grasp, but only because the woman could teleport great distances. Thankfully he only had to cut down a few more criminals before being allowed by his overseer to leave the island with his crew's lives still intact.

_But maybe he's lying and has already killed them all…_

Law angrily shook his head, pushing the horrible thought from his mind and continuing on. After all, what would be the point of all of this if they were gone? Not to mention the bastard would probably wait to kill them until Law was in perfect viewing distance in order to see his every reaction while his crew was tortured heavily before finally being executed. In other words, he had little to fear as long as the Shichibukai was still a vicious and uncaring psychopath like he had always been.

The pirate angrily kicked a rock, sending it skittering across the ground. He knew it was a bad idea to go out onto the open sea and pursue any sort of adventure. He also knew that any person he befriended could be used against him in the long run. But it was also the most fun he had ever had and actually gave some sort of meaning to his life. The fact that he was stuck forever in Doflamingo's shadow was just a damn shame, but that was also the main reason he was smiling so sinisterly now. Law continued to stroll down the streets, humming a tune as he mentally refined his newest and greatest plan. Instead of futilely running around and hoping for some miracle that he'd be left to his own devices, Law had an idea that would remove the obstacles from his life entirely.

He was going after Kaido, the person even Doflamingo took orders from.

~0~

if i had only posted this chapter yesterday then maybe i could've convinced a few people that i have amazing psychic powers... but then again, who wasn't thinking it was going to be kaido? i also have another theory involving law's uncanny resemblance in appearance and some personality traits with luffy~  
and i have a question for everyone! what's your favorite One Piece arc? besides punk hazard, mine would have to be the alabasta arc. send me some answers and you might be seeing some of your favorite characters in upcoming chapters :D


	14. Water 7

AN: every time i get a review it just sends butterflies to my stomach :) you guys are beautiful!

~0~

It was strange and honestly a little unnerving how calm everyone in the crew was just one day after Law's act of rebellion. The kid constantly looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was sneaking up behind him in order to get their revenge for the boy sending their ship to a fiery death. But so far, no incident like that had happened.

In fact, he and several other members of the crew were on their merry way to Water 7 in order to pick up a brand new boat. Doflamingo and a handful of his men had managed to swindle another pirate crew out of their ship (meaning raiding, killing, and pillaging) as a temporary vessel to get them across the ocean to their destination. Unfortunately, the boat was too small to accommodate everyone and some were left in town until they could come back with a larger ship. Bepo had also been forced to stay behind for the time being so now it was up to Law to watch his own back.

Thankfully, Vergo had already left on some new mission for a while as well. It had something to do with infiltrating the Marines, but the boy hadn't eavesdropped on enough of the conversation between the pirate captain and his first mate to know for sure. The only thing he knew for certain was that he had one less terrifying person to watch out for.

The boy was standing out on deck, staring out to sea as the magnificent city drew closer. The island definitely lived up to the breathtaking rumors and he was excited to see it up close. Suddenly, Law had a feeling that someone was standing behind him but was, strangely, unable to turn around and face the possible assailant. A large hand landed on his shoulder and the boy stiffened, knowing exactly who it was in an instant. Doflamingo chuckled at the kid's apprehensiveness before speaking.

"I've been meaning to buy a new ship for a while now, the piece of shit you torched probably couldn't handle another long journey even with any sort of repairs." Law stood there for a moment before narrowing his eyes at what he just heard and considering any alternative meaning the pirate captain could have hiding in his message. Was he really not in that much trouble? But just as that stress-relieving thought entered his mind, Doflamingo continued.

"Don't think you're off the hook, brat." The hand on the kid's shoulder squeezed forcefully, causing the boy's expression to contort from the pain. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, don't think I'm just going to let you off with another warning." The pressure let up and Law could hear the captain walking away. He waited for the footsteps to disappear behind a door before he let out a ragged sigh of relief. The kid resumed looking out at Water 7, shaking lightly after the ominous message.

~0~

Law walked down the streets, following closely behind Doflamingo as the two made their way to a local shipyard. The town's people they had spoken to all recommended a certain place, saying that of all of the shipbuilders left, these guys were the best. Apparently with the lack of safe and easily accessible transportation to any other island most of the shipwrights had already given up their businesses or skipped town due to not having enough revenue. As they continued down the pathways, Doflamingo and Law passed by many abandoned ship building areas which were stripped clean of any useful material. With all of the bareness in these places Law imagined that there would be huge machinery reaching all to way into the sky, practically calling out to them which way this great shipyard they were headed for was located. But the further the two continued through the island, the more the scenery became like that of a scrap yard. Piles of debris and unused machines littered the ground, forcing the pirate captain and kid to be careful when picking their way across the mess as they made their way to the warehouse under the bridge. When the two came to stand in front of a little building that hardly looked like it could house such highly spoken of workers, Doflamingo looked severely unimpressed. The man raised a hand to the door, preparing to knock when it suddenly flew open.

"Welcome!" A very large and very yellow man called out, his voice booming into the ocean air behind them. Law could practically feel the vibrations rattle through his bones as the fishman began to laugh.

"Do my eyes deceive me or am I standing in the presence of an old friend?" The fishman clasped a hand on the pirate captain's shoulder, giving him a sincere smile. Doflamingo returned it with a grin of his own, one that was less creepy and cynical than his usual.

"It has been a while." The man stated before letting himself into the warehouse. Law took that as his queue to follow after but was met with a door slammed in his face. The kid blinked, confused for a moment before glowering and grumbling something under his breath about shitty bastard captains.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from out in the scrap yard and Law whirled around, looking to see if it was some pirate ship playing target practice out in the harbor. He noticed a plume of smoke and decided it would be much more interesting to investigate it than wait here.

It took the kid a couple of minutes to hop down to the beach and when he was close enough the boy could hear the tail end of a heated conversation.

"…such a dumbass! What would have happened if you hit the tracks? ! Bakanky!"

"My aim isn't that bad! Quit being such a whiny prick, Ahoburg!"

Law came around from behind a large piece of scrap and found two guys arguing at the top of their lungs. He listened for a little bit before getting bored and drawing his attention elsewhere. Something caught his eye and the kid grinned, noticing that whatever it was it looked much more entertaining than the two guys fighting or waiting for his asshole-captain to finish with his business. Behind the two strangers was a large contraption sitting in the water labeled "Battle Franky 27" which seemed to be begging for the kid to investigate. Law took one last look at the guys arguing, making sure he hadn't been spotted yet before slinking off to the strange machine. The boy climbed aboard, standing in something that looked like a battle station equipped with many targeting systems. He grinned sinisterly as his imagination began playing out different ideas of him being the captain of his own warship, armed with thousands of canons and virtually unstoppable on the seas.

Law snickered, realizing how much playing with dangerous toys brought out his more childish qualities. He continued fiddling with a few controls, hoping something interesting would happen when he noticed something amiss. Quite a few of the wiring designs looked to be assembled by an idiot because cords were sticking in and out of the wrong plugs, crisscrossing until they lead to nowhere and poking out everywhere. The kid rubbed his hands together in anticipation and set to work, fixing the horrible mess in front of him until just one cord was left. Law grinned from ear to ear before completing the jumbled puzzle of electrical work, attaching the plug to its corresponding sides. When nothing happened at first the boy frowned, scratching his head before looking for what else might be done wrong. Suddenly, a whirring sound erupted from the machine before a large canon popped out from the side of the contraption and shot a steel ball for what seemed like halfway across the ocean.

_Cool._

"Oi! The hell do you think you're doing? !" Shouted one of the guys from the shore before the small ship started rocking back and forth as if someone had just jumped on.

"How in the world did you fix this thing?" Law looked over his shoulder to find the guy with blue hair invading his personal bubble, reaching his longer arms around the kid and messing with some of the controls. But before he had a chance to complain, the stranger lifted the boy onto his shoulders and started repositioning the weapons. Law held onto the guy's head as the contraption they were on began turning.

"Where the hell do you think you're pointing that? !" The machine stopped, all guns aimed at the guy standing on the shore as he glared holes through the one behind the controls.

"The battle Franky will take out every obstacle! Nothing can stand in its way!" Suddenly, the young man pushed a large red button, causing many lights to flash and sounds to ring out before it began firing. The other guy on the shore now seemed incredibly pissed off, yet somehow confident as if he knew the shrapnel wouldn't hit him. In fact, it went no where near him. The guy Law was sitting on began muttering under his breath about defective wiring and poor materials when the three boys turned to notice someone who had approached.

"Tahahaha! Your inventions get better with the more you make, Franky!" It was the fishman whom Law had seen earlier.

"When are you going to make this idiot stop creating these dangerous things, Tom?"

"They won't hurt anybody, Ahoburg!"

"Tahahaha!"

Law continued to go unnoticed, an amused smile on his lips as the two men began throwing verbal attacks at each other once more while Tom laughed boisterously. Very slowly the fishman began to regain some control and just as Franky was getting ready to jump back onto shore and begin a physical aspect of the fight Tom spoke up.

"Franky, Iceburg! I need you up in the warehouse, we have a new customer!" With that, the large fishman turned around and began heading back through the many scraps and unused materials, chuckling heartily. Iceburg and Franky instantly forgot their fight and gave each other questioning glances.

"And bring the boy on your shoulders as well!" Tom called over to his apprentices offhandedly. Franky glanced up at the kid who returned the look with a confused one of his own; he didn't think Doflamingo would be wanting him around until they were ready to set sail. The blue haired man gave the boy a sideways grin before hopping back onto dry land and following the fishman with Iceburg soon after. The two guys struck up conversations with the kid as they made their way to the warehouse under the bridge.

~0~

The four boys entered the building, greeted with the scent of fresh tea in the air as Law noticed familiar blonde hair and pink feathers sitting on a couch in the small room. He hopped down from Franky's shoulders and made his way over to sit on the opposite side of the sofa as the pirate captain. Doflamingo took a sip from his drink as Iceburg and Franky came in and sat in a few chairs which were set to face the captain.

"So these are the great apprentices you were talking about. Quite frankly they don't look like much." The captain said with a sinister grin. Franky looked like he was about to pounce on the pirate before rearranging his face, but Iceburg managed to snag his arm in time and thrust him back in his seat.

"It doesn't matter what we look like so long as the job gets finished to the highest expectations." The purple haired man stated, throwing a glare at the younger shipwright. The other just scoffed before turning away and muttering something under his breath.

"Tahahaha! Well said my boy!" Tom laughed as he came up beside Law, placing a hand on the back of the sofa. A woman came from the kitchen with a tray of tea cups, offering some to the guys who just arrived from outside and refilling Doflamingo's before setting the pot on a small coffee table. "Thank you, Kokoro. Now, you said you had a job for us, isn't that right Mr. Donquixote?" The fishman asked, setting his empty cup next to the tea pot.

"Please, call me Doflamingo." The captain stated, also setting his cup down and relaxing back into the couch. "I'm in need of a new ship, certain circumstances arose and my old one is no longer performing as well as I would like it to." Law shifted uncomfortably, knowing the man's eyes were pointed at him without even having to look.

"We'd be happy to take a look at if, if you'd like. I'm sure we could save you the trouble of buying a new ship if we just fix it up." Iceburg commented politely. Doflamingo looked severely displeased at the young man for speaking out of turn once more, but he went along with it without letting too much of his anger show.

"Not since this dumbass blew it the fuck up." The captain bit out. Law could feel his ears and cheeks brighten as he internally wished Iceburg to stop speaking. The apprentices looked at the boy with surprise written all over their faces but Doflamingo quickly changed the subject. "I heard you started a new project some time ago, Tom. How has it been coming along?"

The fishman hefted a sigh. "Yes, my apprentices and I have been constructing a train that will reach out into the ocean. The building is coming along smoothly but I'm not sure if we'll have enough supplies to finish it in time." Tom didn't seem too deterred by this though; the information was disheartening but his attitude could fool anybody into believing otherwise. Doflamingo snickered as he crossed his legs and spread his arms over the sofa's arm and back.

"I'll tell you what, Tom." The pirate captain began to explain in his usual arrogant tone. "I'll take a two hundred million berri ship," The man twitched a finger, causing the teapot to rise from its perch on the coffee table, moving it so the spout was just over Tom's cup, pouring out a splash of tea before doing the same with his. "But instead I'll pay you three hundred for it." The pirate set the teapot down and levitated his cup to his outstretched hand, smirking ominously. Franky sprang up.

"Three hundred berries? ! That's it? You think we'll do such a job for so little…" The blue haired shipwright was suddenly silenced, his mouth unable to move as Doflamingo held his hand in place. He flicked another finger out and caused the young man to plop down in his chair once more, completely unable to move. Iceburg looked ready to burst out in anger as well when one of Tom's massive webbed hands closed around the pirate captain's wrist. Doflamingo glanced up at the man's unyielding expression for a moment before grinning nonchalantly and casually releasing his hold. Franky collapsed against the chair, gasping heavily.

"Sorry for misleading you." The captain stated unapologetically. "What I meant to say was three hundred _million_ berries."

The two apprentices glanced at each other, utter shock in their expressions at the prospect of earning that much money in one job. Law was only mystified by Doflamingo taking orders from someone.

"Tahahaha! I guess with that large of a reward we have to take the job!" Tom announced. He then ordered his apprentices to grab his sketch pad while Law was sent off to bring the money.

The ship took only a few days to build since the fishman had managed to assemble all of the shipbuilders on the island, paying them to finish up the rush job as quickly as they could. As soon as it was done Doflamingo, Law, and the rest of the crew sailed back to pick up the rest of the members before heading out to sea for adventure once more. The sea train project also no longer suffered any financial problems since the fishman was able to pay for new supplies, but Law never did find out how Doflamingo and Tom knew each other.

-Omake-

His hair really had gotten long since it was now just brushing past his nose, but the kid hardly even realized it since he always swept it back before putting on his hat, effectively keeping it out of his vision. In his eyes it hadn't been a mistake to pick up a rusty pair of scissors and a broken mirror, however, it _was_ a mistake when Franky caught him in the act of cutting his own hair.

"I don't need your help, dammit!" Law called out, pulling against the restraints attaching him to the arms of a chair.

"Shut up! I'm a super hairstylist! When I'm finished with you all of the fine women will follow you around, kid." The blue haired shipwright exclaimed, shoving the boy into a proper sitting position as he tested the scissors in his hands a few times.

"Why would I ever want that! All girls do is whine and complain." The kid distinctly remembered having a secret hideout back in the North Blue that always had a "no girls" rule for a good reason; all they ever wanted to do was play dress-up and other dumb games like that.

But it was too late for the kid to escape; the procedure was already being preformed. The boy sat brooding and muttering in the chair making vicious claims of mutilation the entire time. Franky just concentrated on the task at hand as he began cutting and styling.

Twenty minutes later and Law was handed a mirror.

"Another super job!" The eighteen-year-old exclaimed, pointing a shimmering smile and a thumbs up to the kid. But the boy felt this situation was anything but super.

"Take these freaking restraints off so I can strangle you!" Law shouted angrily, twisting and pulling his arms until he was free. The kid bolted after the shipwright, shouting profanities while Franky just dashed away laughing at the top of his lungs.

"If you run too much the gel won't set properly!"

"Screw you!"

Franky liked the look of this hairstyle so much that he later adopted it when his own locks were long enough.

~0~

AN: i liked what i was doing with this story but eventually realized i wouldn't be able to fluidly put everything in here without making the chapter 10 000 words long, thus the omake.  
and yes, you can prepare yourself for doflamingo's very own back story eventually as well :3 I have it in the works and I am very hopeful you guys will like it~ of course it won't be up for a while…  
like my work? want to be alerted every time there's an update? feel free to hit the favorite and follow buttons :)


	15. Kidnapping

The cold surrounding him was seeping far beyond the protective layers of his thick clothing, sending shivers up and down his spine until a sneeze erupted from his nose. Law tried to lift his head only to be reminded that a certain encounter shortly before made that simple task extremely difficult for him. It seemed impossible to meet another person even remotely as dangerous as Doflamingo on this planet, but it looked like the kid's luck was bad enough to unite him and the new crazy stranger in a single room. Memories of the unknown man striking up a simple conversation with him before clasping a hand around his nose and mouth reminded the 9-year-old that he had been drugged and kidnapped. He could tell by the lethargy of his movements that he must have been out for an hour or so, but now the sensations in his fingers and toes were slowly returning. The kid flexed his arms and legs, feeling the biting sensation of his freezing muscles contract and release. Rope secured his wrists and ankles to the wooden chair he was seated in.

Law slowly lifted his head, working out the soreness and kinks in his neck before taking a look around the room he was in. It was simple and boring; nothing really substantial about it could tell him where he was other than maybe the second or third story of some old hotel. The room was completely made out of wood and void of any furniture or carpeting which didn't help insulate the place one bit. The small window in front of him allowed the boy to look out at the snow swirling around in the wind as he tried to recall anything that had happened in the past hour or so that he'd been asleep.

Law shivered again, wondering if he should call out to someone or wait patiently. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a door behind him opened and closed while footsteps approached.

"My my, it seems the sedative wore off sooner than I had expected."

Law recognized the voice as the stranger from earlier, but before he had a chance to speak the man came around to the front of him, grabbed the back of his chair and tilted it rearward until he was nearly parallel with the ground. The boy had to fight in order to keep his head from lolling back and the strain was evident in his expression. The man chuckled and flicked his wrist, sending the chair clattering back to its original position. Law huffed boredly.

"Where the hell am I?"

He was done with the games and fooling around, right now the kid just wanted to leave and head back to the ship. But for some reason he couldn't hear anything but a few muffled sounds as if his mouth was covered by something. He shifted his lips and realized that there we indeed something tied over them, inhibiting speech.

"Fufufufu." The stranger chuckled and Law glared angrily. There was something very suspicious about that laugh but he couldn't recognize the man's face or form. The stranger was average height with dark hair, ragged clothes, and a scruffy beard. The only thing distinguishing him from a crowd would be his piercing and unyielding stare.

"Well aren't you just full of spunk?" The man asked sarcastically as he walked around to face the boy. "If you're thinking about escaping you should just give up. Unfortunately, if you were to take one step outside your lungs would freeze solid and you'd suffocate long before reaching any city." The man casually stuck his hands in his pockets while Law frowned bitterly. It would definitely be a hassle to get out of this building.

"But don't you fret, kid." The stranger reached out a finger and poked the boy on the tip of his nose. Law growled low in his throat, wishing he wasn't restrained so he could jam his own finger in the other's eye.

"I'm waiting for a certain someone to come to your rescue. I've been meaning to meet up with him for some time now, but he's rather violent and it's much easier to talk when I have a hostage close at hand." The man clapped a hand on the kid's head, tosseling his fuzzy hat until his hair was more of a mess than before. Law struggled to get untied, twisting his wrists in an attempt to free them from the rope only to be met with shooting pain. He suppressed a cry as his left arm threatened to fall off his shoulder. The violent twinge eventually subsided into a dull throb and Law could feel something warm and wet trickle down his arm before dripping from his fingers.

Blood, obviously, but not just from some small wound. It was more like someone had stabbed his forearm the dragged the blade from one end to the other.

"You should be more careful." The man mockingly stated. Law sent a hateful glare up at the stranger as he continued to formulate mental plans in order to escape this crazy guy. A large hand suddenly shot out, wrapping around the kid's jaw and pulling him foreword. The boy was met with the creepy gaze of the man as he chuckled deep in his throat like he was keeping a sinister secret from Law.

"You know, I really am sorry." The man lied. "If there had been any other way to leave a note for my old friend I would have used that method instead. But nothing says 'Come and find me' like a very large message written with the blood of an ally." The man snickered and let go of his hostage. Law jerked his head away, some of the rebellious fire gone from his eyes.

_Who could this guy be so desperate to see?_ Law wondered to himself. But then again, he really didn't feel like finding out. The kid continued to twist and squirm, ignoring the pain in his arm as he felt the rope loosening around his wrists until he was free. Law quickly sprang to his feet, preparing to sprint for the exit until a small hitch turned up in his plan. The boy found himself staring at the floor, his head swimming and a dull throbbing in his nose. Laughing suddenly burst from the stranger in the room as Law groaned after face planting into the floor boards beneath him. It seemed the sedative had yet to wear off enough for him to take a single step so he was stuck here for a while.

Loud knocking suddenly echoed up to the room, signaling that somebody wished to be let it from somewhere downstairs.

"Took him long enough." The stranger remarked, but just as he was about to stroll by the kid, the door to their room was suddenly kicked in. Law watched the large piece of wood sail across the room and straight into the wall that was in front of him, the sound of glass cracking and wood splintering being the only thing he could focus on for a few moments. The kid then realized that if he had still been sitting in the chair he probably wouldn't be conscious, or even alive, at the moment. The cold air from outside bombarded the room, slowly sucking out any sort of warmth and inviting a few snowflakes through the cracks in the glass.

A hand suddenly gripped the scruff of the boy's winter jacket, lifting him into the air before something cold and metallic pressed against his throat.

"With a mentor like you it's no wonder this brat has such poor manners." The stranger said to the newest occupant of the room. Law was dumbfounded, wondering what exactly he had managed to get himself in the middle of. Doflamingo stood in the doorway, a malevolent smile adorning his features.

"All that little punk is good for is getting into trouble." The pirate captain commented snidely. Law glared at the man, pissed that he couldn't do anything but hang there in stranger's grasp.

"I'm just surprised that a man like you could feel anything besides hatred and contempt." The stranger said. Law was confused by the connotations being thrown back and forth between the men but suddenly Doflamingo was heading straight for them.

"Tsk, tsk," The grip on the boy tightened considerably and the knife against his throat made the smallest of incisions into his flesh, but that didn't seem to deter the captain from his path. "Do you want this kid to die?" Law could hear a bit of panic in the man's tone as the pirate continued to advance with an intimidating smile still etched into his features. Doflamingo stopped directly in front of the stranger, his grin spreading wider.

"I'm only here to pick up some stolen property. If it's damaged any further then you really are going to be shit out of luck." The captain threatened menacingly. Law narrowed his eyes in annoyance at being treated no better than the man's favorite pair of shoes. But then again, he really couldn't expect much more than that to come from the psychotic captain

"Che." Suddenly the kid was flung foreword, crashing into Doflamingo before collapsing to the floor. The captain seemed to have disappeared into thin air as the boy fell over from lack of proper leverage and muscle control. He mustered up all of his remaining strength and looked out into the room, noticing the two men clashing in the center. The mystery man had managed to pull a sword from somewhere and would have successfully cut the blonde captain in two if the man hadn't stopped the other's movement by catching the blade between a few fingers. The pirate barely even rotated his wrist and managed to snap the weapon in half, send the sharp metal flying into a nearby wall.

"You know, your power to negate any devil fruit ability isn't very useful if you're going against someone who can kill you without their powers." The pirate captain evenly stated, thrusting out an arm and clenching his hand around the stranger's neck, lifting him into the air. Law blinked in confusion but suddenly realized that Doflamingo had indeed been refraining from using his abilities. He realized that if the captain had been able to do so, the fight would already be over in a very grotesque way.

Choked laughter suddenly came from the stranger.

"I'm no match for you." He coughed. "It seems karma really does come around full circle for every event in your life." The man said. Law managed to push himself into a sitting position as the stranger continued to speak while in the grasp of the pirate captain.

"Growing up, I always thought nobility would live the high life forever with the power to boss around even the most powerful of slaves." The man grunted a few times as if trying to find a comfortable way to dangle in the air by his neck. Law just became even more confused; was this guy a world noble or something? He tried to gauge some sort of answer from Doflamingo's features but the man was like a rock.

"To think we grew up together in such different standings, and now our roles in society are almost reversed." Dry, humorless chuckling came from the man next as his voice grew weaker. Now it was the pirate's turn to laugh.

"I don't know what the hell you've been smoking, but I've never seen your face before in my life!" The captain threw his head back and burst into hysterics, his other hand clasped to his face as he tried to control himself once more. The man in his grasp seemed completely astonished by the captain's words before his expression contorted from his anger.

"What the hell do you mean you don't remember me? !" He shouted as loud as he could. "You bastard! You murdered my fiancée and now you have the nerve to say you've never seen me before?" Law couldn't quite tell if the stranger's face was bright red from anger or asphyxiation, but he had a feeling it was a combination of the two. Doflamingo suddenly dropped the man as he howled even louder from his laughing fit. The stranger coughed and sputtered, trying to rein himself in once more. The captain suddenly struck the man, planting a foot to his chest and pinning him forcefully into the floor, chuckling sadistically.

"You honestly believe I can remember ever single ant that crosses my path? That I take the time to count every piece of filth stuck to the bottom of my shoes?" The captain ground his foot into the other man's chest, causing a few ribs to snap painfully. "Only a fool takes the time to remember all of the trash he's ever thrown away."

The man glared fearsomely at the pirate standing over him, his anger practically resonating through the room despite his obvious pain.

"You son of a bitch! Maybe if I tell you my damn name you'll remember something!" The man shouted. Doflamingo only snickered in response causing the stranger to somehow grow even angrier. "Remus, you sick fuck! Do you remember me now? ! My fiancée was Jane Grey! The woman who owned…"

A sickening crack resounded through the room followed by an eerie silence. Remus lay on the floor, his eyes still transfixed before him but his limbs and expression had lost all of their tension as his muscles slowly relaxed. Law stared at the two, his eyes wide with surprise mixed with a bit of fear as the captain removed his foot from the other man's chest. A chuckle cut through the air until it manifested into full blown laughter as the pirate held onto his sides like they were about to fall off from his over excitement. He wound himself down after a while and approached the boy, looking down at him with a satisfied smile on his face. Law expected the captain to bark a few orders and maybe even kick him out the door, but to his surprise the man bent down and picked up the boy's arm, pushing his sleeve up and examining the slice that ran from his elbow to his wrist. Streaks of blood both dry and fresh left trails down his arm and along his fingers, making for a very gory scene indeed. Doflamingo then unbuttoned his own winter coat which he wore underneath his pink feathered jacket, exposing his usual shirt that hung lazily from his arms completely unfastened except for the last button. He unbuttoned it and tore several strips from the hem of his shirt.

"I can't believe you got kidnapped." The captain said, snickering maliciously. Law glanced up at the man and turned beet red from embarrassment but the pirate just ignored it as he began tying a strip of cloth around the kid's arm and continued speaking. "I don't even want to think of the shit you'd get yourself into if you were a girl."

"What's that supposed to mean? !" The boy asked indignantly. He winced a little as Doflamingo tied a strip much tighter than it needed to be. The man had very limited knowledge when it came to anything medically related and the lack of skills definitely showed now.

"Maybe I should call up Vergo and have him come back since obviously he didn't do a good enough job training you the first time." The captain meant this as a joke but Law found nothing funny about it. He immediately became quiet, not wishing to anger the man as he continued bandaging the kid's arm. When Doflamingo finished, he pulled down the boy's sleeve and stood.

"Come on, brat. It's a long walk back to the ship." The pirate captain began heading over to the door but stopped halfway and turned around. "And next time you decide to go somewhere with someone you had better make sure it's not in the middle of nowhere. If you ever make me trudge through a damned blizzard again you're going to wish you hadn't been found." Doflamingo warned ominously. The boy quickly nodded his head and stood as well. He managed to make it a few steps but ended up collapsing just before he caught up with the pirate. Law cursed under his breath and tried getting up again only to stop when he noticed the captain kneeling in front of him once more.

"Shit, what the hell did that idiot give you?" Doflamingo asked openly. He took hold of the boy's chin with his thumb and index finger, swiveling his head from one side to the other. Law wasn't entirely sure what the pirate was looking for but decided not to question it. When the captain found nothing out of the ordinary he stood up.

"Guess there's no helping it." The man said under his breath before buttoning his jacket. To Law's amazement Doflamingo bent over and hooked each of his hands underneath the kid's arms, hoisting him into the air and holding him against his chest. Despite the thick coats each of them were wearing, Law instantly felt the warmth resonating from the pirate seep through his jacket, gently warming his freezing limbs. His arms were draped over the captain's neck while the pirate held his underneath Law for support. The boy was left utterly speechless as Doflamingo departed the room, leaving Remus behind and heading down the stairs.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind; the boy remembered his kidnapper telling him that if he were to go outside his lungs would freeze solid. He was about to speak up as they arrived at the door but the captain gave him no time, kicking it from its hinges and plunging into the snowstorm outside. Law panicked for a moment but soon realized that the subzero air wasn't burning his nose. He thought it over for a bit but came to the conclusion that Doflamingo must be behind this. After all, the man had already come here without suffocating from the cold once. The kid relaxed again, not realizing how tired he actually was until he leaned his forehead against the man's shoulder. The footsteps below him were rhythmic and calming, slowly causing the boy to drift off to sleep along with the warmth and his overall fatigue.

~0~

AN: law had no idea remus was waiting for doflamingo because, seriously, who actually wants to agrivate that man and then write a message to him in blood saying where they'll be? (apparently that idiot. smh)  
and no, i am not going for a harry potter motif here.  
and yes, remus will be important later.


	16. Revolution

"S-should we help him?" The bear asked, standing next to his best friend but unable to take his eyes off of the man in question.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure." The ten-year-old boy confided, also staring transfixed at the stranger lying on the sand.

"Well, he is a person." Bepo reasoned, shifting uncomfortably between his feet.

"I'm not too certain Marines are people." Law stated, shoving his hands into his pockets. The two had just been out on a walk around the island their ship was currently docked at, enjoying the sights and the beaches when they came across a certain sergeant major laying face down on the shore, the waves of the ocean ebbing at his ankles. Law crouched down in front of the man and hesitantly poked him on his forehead.

"Hey." He called out once. When nothing happened the kid decided it was probably a good idea to check his pulse. Law pressed two fingers against the stranger's jugular and waited. He could feel a faint heart beat but the guy was definitely alive.

"Help me role him over." The kid said to his friend. Bepo happily obliged and the two pushed the man onto his back. Law brushed the unfastened fabric of the stranger's shirt aside, quickly pressing an ear to his chest and drew back with a frown.

"Great." He muttered while positioning himself to administer CPR when all he could hear was shallow breathing. Law pressed down three times on his chest, trying to get the man's lungs to work correctly but when nothing happened again the boy became a bit panicked. He repeated the procedure once more and sighed with relief when the stranger sputtered and coughed, hacking up the sea water that had been stuck in his lungs.

"Should we run?" Bepo whispered into his friend's ear but Law hastily shushed him as the marine sat up and turned his attention to the two kneeling next to him. The kid bristled when their eyes met because the stranger looked like a beraved lunatic. His white hair stood out in all directions, his expression showed no signs of happiness and his appearance made him look like he was about to kill something.

"Got any smokes?" The man suddenly asked. Law blinked a few times from the completely unexpected question.

"What?" He exchanged a confused glance with Bepo.

"I asked if you had any cigarettes." The man said in an even tone. Law frowned.

"I'm just a kid." He stated a bit indignantly. Did he really look like a prime target to bum a smoke off of? The man just cocked an eyebrow.

"So that's a 'no'?"

"Yeah, that's a 'no'."

The marine shrugged and stood up, dusting the sand from his well-worn uniform and stretching his arms as if he had only woken up from a nap. The man turned to the kid once more.

"The name's Smoker. I guess I have you to thank for saving me." He said in a gruff tone. Smoker extended a hand towards Law who skeptically took it before being pulled to his feet. Just as the kid stood, a loud grumbling came from his stomach, causing a slight tint of red to scatter across his cheeks. A knowing smirk came to the marine's face as he put his hand on the kid's head and began steering him away from the beach.

"Come on, I'll treat you to some lunch."

~0~

Law really hadn't expected to befriend a marine even if it did just mean getting a free meal, but the fact that he was in the island's naval base was extremely unnerving.

He sat on Smoker's bed, nervously twiddling his thumbs as he thought over the consequences of the people here discovering that he'd been on a pirate ship for around three years now. Whether he considered himself a pirate or not, the evidence pointed towards the affirmative and Law wasn't exactly ready to get in trouble for Doflamingo's sake. But voices came to his ears and silenced his thoughts as two people approached the room he and Bepo were in.

"You know you're not supposed to bring outsiders here. Hina's very disappointed." A female voice said, obviously chastising the person she was walking with.

"Like I give a damn what the superiors think. I don't have a cent to my name so I can't exactly take the kid to a restaurant." Law recognized the other voice as Smoker's and was slightly relieved that the man was back so he didn't have to explain to anyone why he was there if they decided to barge in. The door opened to reveal Smoker and some other woman with long, light pink hair. She looked unamused about the boy's presence so he just sat wordlessly on the bed.

Just as she looked like she was about to turn back to Smoker and let him have another earful, something caught her eye. The woman quickly entered the room and approached the two sitting on the sergeant major's bed with a completely unsatisfied glare written all over her face. Law suddenly realized she wasn't staring at him but straight at Bepo which made him a little worried. What if she was some really uptight officer and kicked the two out because he had brought the bear in? Or if she reported this incident to her superiors? Law didn't want any trouble when they had only just arrived here so he decided to try and smooth things over.

Just as he was about to speak up the woman extended her arms, reaching out her hands and securing them underneath Bepo's arms before lifting him into the air. The bear yipped once but stayed completely still as he was analyzed by the marine woman. Poor Bepo looked scared beyond all belief as he stared into the critical eyes in front of him, scrutinizing his every detail with an unwavering expression. But just as the kid was about to tell her to put his friend down, the widest, sweetest, girliest smile spread over the woman's face as she shifted the bear around to hold him in her arms like a large puppy.

"Hina will pay for lunch." She announced while turning around and heading for the door. Law stared in confusion a moment but caught up with the three as they left for the exit.

~0~

Doflamingo continued to walk up the side of the mountain, following a well worn trail that he still remembered vividly even after all of these years. He was mildly bemused that it had already been three decades since his first adventures on the open ocean, but the thought was hardly nostalgic and only served to make him feel old. The biggest difference between now and then was that he was currently alone, not that it mattered too much since he was only on his way through the island to talk with an old acquaintance after all. It must have been more than twenty years since he last walked this path and only a single person came to mind when he thought about this current destination and what had changed throughout his teenage years when they were together. Of course, the pirate hadn't come to see that man and was currently on his way to an old 'job sight' as one could consider this place to be, looking for the person in charge. Doflamingo knew he wouldn't be able to catch his old boss, but second in command would be just as resourceful.

The pirate captain pushed past a few overgrown ferns and came to the bottom of a cliff with rocks stretching up into the sky. He smirked as the only thing left was to hop up the side and he'd be standing in front of the man he'd been meaning to meet with for a while now, so he did. Doflamingo jumped from boulder to boulder, gracefully leaping up the side of the rock face until he landed at the top. Right in front of him was the opening to a cave that turned pitch black before he could see the end of it. The pirate entered, strolling in as if just walking through town.

"Stop! Where do you think…" A voice suddenly called out, but the captain was in no mood to deal with petty guards. He barely paid the man any mind as he released his Haki, successfully knocking the man unconscious and continuing through the tunnel. Footsteps were then heard echoing through the rocky hallway and Doflamingo raised a hand, easily stopping every advancing person in their tracks with his devil fruit powers.

"Relax," The pirate calmly stated. "I'm only here to speak with an old acquaintance." He snickered wily and continued through, passing the patrol and dropping his powers which caused the guards to fall limply to the ground as they also fainted from the pirate's burst of Haki.

The captain stopped in front of a large door, staring it down with an uninterested expression until the enormous thing began to open. Doflamingo smirked, pleased that he hadn't been forgotten. But with his personality and reputation, how could anyone forget? The man entered casually and approached a large table surrounded entirely by empty chairs except for the one directly opposite of the entrance. There sat the man of his interest and Doflamingo smiled sinisterly.

"What do you want, Joker-boy?" The man called out in a heavy German accent before motioning for the large door to be closed. Somewhere in the facility some nameless worker did as he was instructed and secured the door from inside the room before heading through an internal exit in order to leave the two alone. As the second door was heard slamming shut the pirate leisurely walked up to the oversized table and climbed onto it, planting himself on top as if that's what it was really used for.

"I have something I need to ask you, Ivankov." The captain calmly stated, his normal grin adorning on his features.

"And what would that be, Joker-boy?" Iva question, his curiosity piqued. "You disappear for a couple of years without a single letter and just show up lacking even a greeting? What have you been up to all of this time?" The man asked evenly, leaning back in his chair. A moment of silence passed between the two as Doflamingo mulled over the presented question before his grin spread wider. He stood up and snickered, strolling across the table to the Okama in front of him.

"The same thing I've been doing since I first left Dressrosa," The captain answered coyly, stopping a few feet from the purple haired man. "Just stirring up chaos and making my fortune from the suckers caught in the middle." Doflamingo finished, chuckling sinisterly. The pirate sat down again on top of the table, easily making himself at home. Iva laughed airily in response.

"Of course, how could I forget? You were never one to be fully trusted after all." Iva sat up straight, leaning his elbows on the table and pressing his fingers together. "Now, will you be asking me your question or do I have to guess?" The Okama asked sarcastically, making it obvious that the pirate's sudden appearance was in no way satisfying to his schedule.

"Well why not? You were always one for fun and games." The pirate snidely replied. It seemed Doflamingo was testing how many buttons he could push before Iva would snap his cool composure in half and let any new expression be plastered on his face, causing the Okama to grow less amused.

"Yes, but not when I've been interrupted by an unscheduled guest. Now either you've got something in mind you're desperate to get your hands on or you've come back to reclaim your status in the revolutionary army." Iva swiftly stated, eager to get to the point. It wasn't often Doflamingo came to others for advice or information, let alone help. The purple haired man pushed the thought of the one sitting in front of him rejoining the army away and waited to hear what the pirate was here to ask for.

"Even after all of these years your humor has yet to deteriorate." The captain remarked as he stood up and threw his head back from laughter. The pirate hopped down from the table and walked around behind one of the chairs before draping his arms over the top. "There's something I've been dying to know and I've heard that you're the man to ask." He clearly stated, letting a playful grin etch into his features. Iva just sat and waited for the other to continue. "We both have mutual interests but it seems your organization is currently in more of a predicament than ever before." Doflamingo stated before pausing in thought when something suddenly came to his mind which caused his facial features to grow even darker. "Out of curriosity, how is that snake doing?" The captain asked bitterly.

"If you mean Dragon he's not here." Ivankov stated in a warning tone. The pirate let that bit information sink in before shrugging casually.

"No big loss. I've always considered you to be the man in charge, even back in the day, and that's not just flattery." The captain said as he pulled out a chair and plopped down in the seat. "I've noticed how the revolution has dwindled in the past few months. Not as many supporters as you thought you'd get, huh?" The pirate jeared at the other man, propping his feet on the table and crossing his legs at his ankles. "But not to worry, I have a proposition that will benefit the both of us."

Ivankov paused in thought for a moment before answering as he considered the possible repercussions of listening to Doflamingo's plan but ultimately decided that the pros outweighed the cons.

"What is your proposal, Joker-boy? And it had better not be anything that wastes my time." The Okama replied sternly. The pirate captain grinned mischievously, pleased that things were going so smoothly. He hadn't expected to be this far along in his plan so soon but it seemed he really had hit the nail on the head when mentioning the dwindling numbers of Dragon's precious army.

"I propose a trade. Your information for mine." The captain announced. Iva managed to keep his poker face up as Doflamingo continued. "I want you to tell me everything you know about Caesar Clown and synthetic Devil Fruits and I'll divulge a little secret the World Government and Nobles are keeping from the presses. It might be handy towards your efforts."

~0~

It was definitely awkward sitting at a table with two Marine officers in a restaurant somewhere in the middle of town filled with more Marine officers. Everyone at the base seemed to be out in town since it was about the time of day for a lunch break, but whether all of these officers had plenty of money to spend or couldn't stomach standard meals at their HQ, Law couldn't tell. The entire time the kid had been out with Hina and Smoker he had been very fidgety, always looking sround to make sure nobody was sneaking up behind him. It's not like the kid had a bounty on his head or anything, but the fact that he was completely surrounded by government dogs wasn't exactly his idea of a relaxing vacation hot spot. Not to mention he had to kick Bepo twice underneath the table for getting too chatty about the pirate life for his own good. But it seemed both of the marines they were with were too busy with their own private affairs to notice how suspicious these two were. The pink haired woman hadn't stopped chastising her male counterpart since the four sat down and Smoker continued to pay her no mind. It seemed like the man had had plenty of practice ignoring his fellow officer and was able to tune her out until certain points were brought up that he actually had a viable retort for.

But of course, no one had been expecting this simple lunch outing to go up in flames.

Law stared through one of the large windows in front of the restaurant and couldn't believe his eyes as plumes of smoke rose from the only mountain on the island after a large explosion had ripped through the sky. He vaguely wondered who could have possibly done that when he realized someone extremely dangerous and very eccentric wasn't anywhere within sight. He figured Doflamingo had something to do with it but definitely didn't expect the pirate captain to come bursting through one of the oversized windows, scattering glass everywhere as a few bystanders cried out in terror. Smoker and Hina were both immediately on their feet when they heard the commotion and headed for the intruding pirate only to miss him entirely. It seemed Doflamingo was in the establishment for one reason, and one reason only which happened to be seated at the only table not surrounded by Marines.

Before Law had a chance to protest, both he and Bepo were secured under the pirate's arms like a couple of wine barrels before the man dashed out of the restaurant at top speed. The boy heard a few shouts that sounded like an enraged Smoker and Hina but wasn't able to look behind him to see if the two were in pursuit.

~0~

Iva stood at a ledge far away from the revolutionary army hideout he had been stationed at for the past few weeks and looked out onto the coast, finally catching a glimpse of the bastard who had blown his facility sky high. The only thing about Doflamingo that seemed to have changed about him over these years was his height, nothing else. From the moment the Okama had met the blonde, he knew that man wasn't to be trusted.

But the pirate's information gathering skills were indeed legendary. Even though Ivankov didn't know very much about what the captain had been seeking he was still rewarded with a hefty bit of information. It seemed the government was more worried about the revolution than he and Dragon had ever thought possible this early in the operation and it was all because of one little rumor floating around. It seemed someone high up in the government was hypothesizing Iva had been trailing through the Grand Line these past few years looking for the poneglyphs from the hundred years of blank history and feared Dragon had maybe been able to recruit someone to the cause who could read the ancient script. The government was planning on moving in on this base, hoping to successfully capture the Okama and the person who could read the ancient scripts, but of course that plan was now a bust. After delivering that bit of information, Doflamingo had run about the place and unsettled a few pressure valves which successfully blew up the building and everything inside. Luckily, Ivankov had managed to evacuate the building but he was still pissed at the man for acting so recklessly.

~0~

AN: i figured im allowed to use any characters i want even if their relation doesn't make too much sense/probably isnt true, right? it's already a nonsense fanfic, so let's exploit the hell out of that aspect ;)  
and for your troubles/patience i have written another theory fanfic of these two :D it's called Consequences, feel free to check it out!


	17. Fireworks

The night was cold and crisp, but not enough to bother the kid. Law had been scurrying around the new island looking for the perfect spot and had yet to find a place that could meet his standards. After all, it was a rather important evening and the boy absolutely didn't want to miss any of the excitement. He'd been looking foreword to this trip ever since he heard that the ship was in a close enough vicinity to arrive at this place on time and had adamantly asked the captain to make a pit stop. It didn't take much persuasion and now that his acquisition had been granted he was about to miss the entire thing.

The New Years bells were about to toll, signaling an acrobatic performance on stage and the greatest fireworks show in all of the Grand Line yet the eleven-year-old hadn't even found a proper spot to view the shows from. And to make matters worse Bepo had wandered off somewhere, probably enticed by the many delicious smelling stands located throughout the town. Law huffed a sigh before pushing through some vegetation and stepping out into the bustling streets once more. He hadn't considered that what seemed like half of the world's population would be here, leaving no space for a picnic area and swamping every available look-out spot. Not only that but every one of them seemed to be blessed with the height of the gods, causing each person to have a head perfectly in his line of sight. Not to mention he also ran the risk of being trampled.

Law had tried looking for a tall building to stand on but there weren't any other than cheep looking wooden stalls and tents that were owned by various food vendors. He attempted to sit on top of a few that actually looked like they could support his weight but had been threatened numerous times to get down or be minced up and served in the owner's specialty dish. The vendors didn't sound serious enough to actually cook him up but they definitely wanted him off of their establishments and the kid didn't feel like starting a fight on new years in a crowd like this. He then attempted to climb up a few trees only to find out the braches were too close together and he wouldn't be able to get anywhere close to the top or have a decent view through the thicket.

The kid was running out of options and time was drawing nearer to the main event. The boy grumbled something under his breath, absentmindedly side-stepping out of the path of the tall oncoming tourists. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, eating and drinking while making their way past all of the gift shops and dessert stands which were lined up on the street Law was currently walking down. He looked up at the strangers, wishing he could recognize at least one of them and maybe ask to stand on their shoulders so he could actually watch the spectacular shows.

Law came to a clearing flooded with people and decided to try his luck there for the time being. He walked around and looked for a spot near the stage to watch the New Years show, but of course there wasn't a single place for him to sit or stand. He considered fighting the people already in the front but immediately disregarded the idea since he'd probably be thrown from the island for making such a disturbance.

Just as he pushed past some people and thought he had a decent viewing point through some of the tourists' legs, a large hand wrapped around his upper arm, causing the boy to yelp in surprise. He was quickly lifted into the air and seated on something tall which he realized gave him the perfect viewing point he had been looking for.

"Fucking brat, I leave you alone for one goddamn second and you get lost like some idiot." A familiar voice said. Law then realized he was sitting on the shoulders of Doflamingo and the thought made him want to lash out at the jerk. But before he had a chance to, the chiming of bells filled his ears as acrobats took to the stage in front of him. An explosion was heard overhead as colors lit up the sky and shot out in every direction. The fireworks blossomed in the night, contrasting the darkness and causing the shadows around to dance with them. The entertainers preformed amazing routines and leapt through the air, doing breath taking stunts that matched the beauty of the spectacle overhead and the tune of the ringing bells behind them.

Law decided to save his retorts for later and just enjoy the show from his new vantage point as the sights in front of him captivated every moment of his attention.


	18. CP9

Storms on the Grand Line were the worst. Not only were they unpredictable and horribly irregular but also massive and extremely intense. It really was true when people said one slip up could cost you your life. The Doflamingo pirates had been swept along in a cyclone not too long ago which steered them down some new course and battered the ship endlessly, but now they were currently anchored at some uncharted island in the middle of the ocean. Some minor repairs needed to be made to the vessel so Law and Bepo had decided to do a little exploring while the men aboard took care of the manual labor.

Then again, it was more accurate to say the boy was trudging through the thicket around the island as the bear timidly followed after the twelve-year-old, jumping at every rustle of the wind and twig breaking.

"Law-kun…" The bear nervously said while gripping the back of the kid's shirt as a large beetle flew too close for comfort. "We shouldn't be walking through here! What if there are huge animals and booby traps?" He asked fearfully as the thought of giant, blood thirsty beasts came to mind. The boy just rolled his eyes and continued to push foreword through the brush.

"If you want to go back to the ship you're more than welcome to, but I don't want to spend more time with those pirates than I have to." The kid stated as he whacked a few leaves that were drooping in his path out of the way. "Besides," he continued, "When was the last time we went off on our own? I say it's about time we had an adventure." Law reasoned while hopping down a few boulders as the two approached a very short rocky overhang. Bepo continued to stumble after his friend despite his worry.

"But we have gone out on our own! And last time we did anything like this you were captured by some crazy guy and used as bait for Doflamingo!" The bear retorted as he followed closely behind.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" The kid asked as he refused to turn around or even slow his progress through the woods.

"Law, he hurt you! He kidnapped you and hurt you!" Bepo cried out as he stopped next to a tree and waited for his friend to finally acknowledge his growing concern. After a moment the boy eventually halted in his path and sighed irritably.

"That was two years ago, Bepo. I'm twice as strong as I was then." The kid lied easily as he began strolling back to his friend. It's not that he was weaker now than he was then but the boy knew he would still be in a lot of trouble if he met someone who was in anyway stronger than him. Law stopped right in front of the bear and grabbed his paw. "Are you going to come with me or not?" He asked his friend, hoping for an agreement. Bepo stood motionless for a while, conveying the message that he was completely against this idea but eventually caved in and nodded his head. Law smiled happily and turned back towards his path, pulling the bear along behind him.

The two walked for a while when they eventually pushed through a thick shrubbery and came to a grassy clearing with a large hut near one of the edges. The area looked as if it were regularly used by people for some sort of exercise camp but was currently empty of any occupants. The boys glanced around as they wandered into the clearing, heading for the only building nearby and watching out for whoever might be in charge of this place. There was a well-worn path etched into the grass adjacent to where Law and Bepo were entering from that started at the tree line and ran along the ground to the hut. Law figured there must be more establishments beyond that section of the forest but decided to check out the one in front of him first.

The boys approached the building and noticed a couple dozen wooden katanas neatly lining the wall. Law walked over and picked one up, inspecting the dulled blade before slashing a few practice swings through the air. When the kid was satisfied with it he picked another one up and turned to Bepo.

"Here," he said, "let's pretend we're swordsmen fighting to claim a treasure chest." Law offered as he handed the item to the bear. Bepo allowed for the katana to be placed in his grasp but only stared at the thing as if it were going to come to life and attack him. He looked up to see his friend positioned as if ready to start a duel, but instead of playing along Bepo spoke up once more.

"I don't think we should be using…" The bear tried reasoning with Law but was suddenly interrupted by the sound of another child's voice behind his friend.

"Stop, intruders!"

Law turned around to see an unfamiliar boy gripping one of the wooden katanas and pointing it at him and the bear. The young stranger had short, curly blonde hair poking out from underneath a baseball cap, was strongly lacking in height which caused him to be shorter than Law and he also had a strangely shaped long nose. He seemed as if he was one of the residents here but the young doctor felt no threat from the opposing kid as soon as he noticed the other's terrified expression and shaking knees. Law smirked amusedly as he leaned the sword in his grasp against his shoulder.

"Oh yeah? And who's going to make us?" The intruding boy asked haughtily. His retort seemed to be a bit of a surprise to the other kid, causing the shorter boy's eyes to bug out as he heavily swallowed. But despite the kid's obvious fear he stood his ground and glared at Law.

"I am! Now get out of here before I cut you in two!" The kid threatened in a shaking voice as he tensed his muscles, preparing for a fight. But what the young stranger said just caused Law to snicker under his breath.

"Cut me in two? With your wooden katana?" Law asked as he grinned even wider when the thought made him chuckle. "I'd like to see you try."

Calculating silence passed between the boys as they sized each other up, but not for very long. The shorter kid suddenly lunged at his opponent, dashing as fast as he could for Law with his sword held high above his head as he prepared to send it crashing into the other's skull. But the blonde didn't get to show off his skills to his adversary when his plan abruptly backfired as soon as the young doctor unexpectedly knocked his own weapon on the top of the shorter kid's head. It wasn't a sufficient amount of force to severely harm his opponent, but the shock was enough the stop the stranger in his tracks as Law returned his katana to where it had been resting against his shoulder.

He expected the other boy to start glaring and threatening him again while he tried his very best to hold a mask of bravery on his face, but instead Law was greeted with large crocodile-tears pouring from his opponent's eyes.

The doctor stared in stunned silence, completely baffled about his situation. Just as he was about to say something in hopes to calm the other kid down, another voice came from behind him.

"What do you think you're doing crying, Kaku?"

Law and Bepo turned around to see another stranger standing behind them, but this one was tall and had long dark hair along with the makings of a soul patch on his chin. Kaku jumped to attention when he heard the authoritative voice call his name and immediately began wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"I-I'm not crying!" The kid announced as he finished drying his eyes and stood at attention. The young man just sighed, choosing not to call out the boy for his obvious lie and turned towards Law and Bepo as a dove suddenly flew down and landed on his shoulder.

"The name's Rob Lucci and this is Hattori." The teenager said as he introduced himself and pointed to the bird. "Who are you two and what are you doing here?"

~0~

Something was off about this island yet Doflamingo couldn't quite put his finger on it. He stood on the beach, watching as his crew made progress in repairing his ship while trying to deduce the reason of why he was constantly on edge since the first moment he saw this land. Nothing seemed to jump out at the man as a promising threat since the minute he arrived, yet the atmosphere around seemed to be warning him to leave as soon as possible. He tried to think of all of the likely motives for his apprehension but as he was running the potential explanations through his head for the third time the captain whirled around at just the right moment in order to catch a projectile that was aimed for his head. The chilling sensation of the sharpened ice-spear in his hand suddenly alerted the pirate of one good reason why he was so uneasy but that still didn't answer all of his questions.

"What a pleasant surprise." The captain stated in a mocking tone, snickering before continuing. "Why would an admiral choose to make an appearance all of the way out here?" Doflamingo commented as he tightened his grip and shattered the spear in his hand while Aokiji stepped out from the tree line. The admiral stood in a relaxed position, his hands in his pockets and a bored expression on his face as he spoke.

"Nothing in particular; just thought I'd stop by to watch the progress of a few aspiring marine officers at the naval base. I didn't realize I would stumble across a notorious group of pirates on my trip." The man replied as he continued to stand in the same position. But the information he just said seemed to give away more than he initially intended. Doflamingo cackled loudly as all of the pieces fit together in his mind.

"So, this is the legendary island of CP9." The pirate stated before taking a quick glance around. "It seems my intelligence network was correct when telling me the marines were up to no good again." He finished with a sinister smile etching across his face. The admiral frowned when he realized the pirate had been snooping around in things that didn't concern him again.

"Then again, when aren't you government dogs scheming and conniving behind everyone's back?" The captain remarked before throwing his head back and laughing with maniac joy. Aokiji frowned deeper and removed a hand from his pocket before striking two digits together, snapping his fingers and causing many ice-stalagmites to shoot up from the ground where Doflamingo was standing. The pirate jumped out of the way before any could skewer him, easily dodging the attack, but the admiral was far from through.

Aokiji rushed for the pirate captain, aiming a few bone-crushing blows for Doflamingo's face and narrowly missing every time. The pirate dodged the attacks effortlessly but knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever and attempted to use his Devil Fruit powers to get the upper hand. Nearly-invisible thread extended from the tips of his fingers, encompassing the admiral and twining around his limbs until he could no longer move. Aokiji took a short moment to assess his situation before concentrating his powers and centralizing his Haki. The admiral then released his abilities, exploding the wires wrapped around his arms and chest which caused the pirate's Devil Fruit powers to retract momentarily from the shock.

But that moment was all it took. Aokiji freed his arms and quickly swept them in front of himself in opposite directions, sending millions of tiny ice lances directly for the pirate. Doflamingo cursed under his breath as he was forced to either dodge them or be impaled. He chose the former option and quickly got out of the way but lost his hold on his opponent which allowed for the admiral to dash foreword for a close combat brawl. The pirate grinned maliciously and welcomed it, also raising a fist and preparing to beat the shit out of his enemy until a strange sensation suddenly coursed through his veins.

Both men stopped their attacks just as they were about to land a strike to each other's faces and looked out to where the center of the island was. A large number of birds suddenly took to the sky from the trees all over the island, squawking in distress as some unknown event startled them. There seemed to be something going on out there and both men were curious as to what is was that sent a shiver down their spines.

~0~

Law panted heavily as a few more drops of sweat mixed with blood fell from his eyebrows and jaw, landing on the dirt beneath him. The cool breeze that suddenly brushed against the boy's skin as it gently attempted to cool him down was welcomed, but the fist that caused it, however, was not.

The kid was sent sprawling to the ground once again, tumbling harshly into the steel bars behind him as he coughed heavily from the blow to his jaw. Regardless of the pain Law forced himself to his knees as they shook violently, threatening to collapse from underneath him and leave the boy in the dirt.

"Just stay down. You know it'll be easier for you." Rob Lucci stated in a warning tone as he cracked his knuckles menacingly. Law ignored that comment and pulled himself to his feet, wiping the trail of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth away.

"Why don't you just get on the ground? Sure would save me the effort of putting you there." The younger retorted with a cocky smirk. The comment was taken none-too-lightly by his foe and Lucci pounced for the kid once again with a snarl. He thrust a fist right for the kid's nose and was just a fraction of an inch away from breaking it when Law suddenly ducked out of the way. The teenager wasn't given much of a chance to recoil his hand and wound up smashing it into the bar Law had been standing in front of. A grunt of pain came from the elder as he cradled his broken knuckles in his other hand before turning around and glaring fiercely at the kid.

Laughter suddenly came from outside of the steel bars enclosing both boys in the fairly small area. Law and Lucci looked over to find the man responsible for their entrapment cackling at the show before him. Rob Lucci spat a mixture of blood and saliva at the man but didn't manage to get the glob to travel far enough in order to hit the bastard.

"A man can't pay for this kind of entertainment!" He called out as he tried to reel himself in from his hysterics. "This is much better than those pathetic dog fights!"

Law glared at the man before glancing over at the other cages a couple dozen feet away from the one he and his opponent were in. There were two of them and both were surrounded by armed guards; one had three kids in it who were all Rob Lucci's friends while the other held Bepo. Kaku sat with his face in between the steel bars as far as it could go, each hand wrapped around a pole and his expression constricted with worry. Another large teenage boy with something weird around his mouth named Fukuro was also in there along with a girl named Kalifa.

The two new faces had somehow managed to get themselves captured by the local mountain bandits a little while ago and were being held captive in hopes of ransom from the marines. Lucci, Kaku, Bepo and Law had attempted to free both Fukuro and Kalifa only to fall victim themselves and were also imprisoned shortly after arriving in the bandit's encampment. It didn't take Trafalgar Law and Rob Lucci very long to start mouthing off to their captors and the two were given the option of fighting each other or having their friends die to pay for their insolence.

Of course, that plan escalated into the victor of the brawl being the one to choose which friend to keep alive and that was the reason the boys were fighting.

Then again, why the bandits would even want to kill their possible ransoms was beyond all of the imprisoned kids' minds.

Law glanced back over in his adversary's direction only to see the teen charging at him. The boy grimaced and dodged when another attack suddenly came for his eye, crouching down and sweeping a leg underneath Lucci in order to send the elder to the ground.

A chorus of cheers and boos came from the audience, distinguishing the different men who were betting for and against the kid still standing. Law listened and found it a bit insulting that there seemed to be more people booing and hissing at him than cheering. But the calls began changing once again as the teen pulled himself to his feet with cheers of encouragement coming from the men trying to save their betting money. The two boys locked eyes for a moment, staring at each other until Rob Lucci smirked and ran at the kid once more.

Law blocked some of the attacks and dodged the rest, jumping around the cage as he was pursued by the elder boy. But either the teen was pulling him into a trap or Lucci was dead tired because the kid found that the other's attacks were extremely easy to avoid compared to just moments before.

An opening in the teen's defense suddenly came through and Law took his chance, throwing a well-aimed fist straight for the other's jaw and sending Lucci toppling to the ground. The kid stood for a moment, expecting the teen to get up and resume the match but was a bit mystified when his adversary didn't move.

Had he really thrown that good of a punch?

Angry shouts came from the men but were quickly silenced when their boss stood up. The mountain bandit clapped his hands as he approached the cage, grinning eagerly when he stopped just inches from the bars.

"Looks like we have our little winner." The man stated before chuckling under his breath and motioning for some henchmen to approach. "But I've decided to change the rules of this game."

Law frowned and crossed his arms. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this would happen, now he just had to listen to the new terms.

"With such a fine performance I've decided to let every one of your friends live." The man said as his greasy grin grew wider. Law's expression didn't waver as he waited for the catch. There's _always_ a catch.

"And in exchange you're going to live as my new fighting-pet."

_There's the catch. Wait, what? !_

Law's eyes bugged out when the conditions were stated and watched in horror as the henchmen that had been called over were now searching through a large ring of keys to find the one to his cage.

"With you at my side I know I'll win all of the street fights, kid!" The mountain bandit stated as he laughed crazily. The lock to the cage door suddenly turned and the kid stared as two burly men entered and headed straight for him. He sized both of them up and decided it wouldn't hurt to show a bit of resistance. Law ran at the men and prepared to attack only to have his arms completely enveloped by their hands as he was lifted into the air like a sack of potatoes. The boy kicked his feet and called out a few insults along with some profanities while he was carried out of the cage only to be easily silenced when the boss landed a fist in his gut.

"You'll shut up if you know what's good for you and your friends, but if you…" The bandit tried to finish his thoughts only to be interrupted when an unexpected person got back into the fight. Rob Lucci quickly knocked the men holding Law unconscious with a swift hit to the back of each of their heads and as they were collapsing over the teen reached for the holstered guns at their hips, pulled them out and emptied the rounds at the men surrounding the other cages. Law took this as his chance and burst free, snatching the keys that had been dropped to the floor and dashing off to let the four still imprisoned out. But the kid didn't get very far when the boss's hand suddenly clamped down on his head and thrust him backwards to the ground. Lucci attempted to deal with him next only to have his attack brushed aside by the surprisingly strong leader. The bandit then slammed his foot straight into Law's stomach, causing the boy to cry out in pain as he rolled onto his side and tried to control his breathing. The man then slid his hand underneath the kid's hat and grabbed a fistful of his hair before hoisting him up from the ground to meet him at eyelevel.

But as soon as the boy was in the air he was suddenly dropped to the ground. Law placed a hand on his throbbing scalp and another around his waist before looking up and noticing the horrified look on the man's face.

"You won't move a fucking finger if you know what's good for you." An intimidating and horrifyingly familiar voice called from behind the man. Law's blood ran a little cold as he realized it was Doflamingo who was the reason for the bandit's fear. The kid blinked several times in shock, trying to clear his vision as if he was hallucinating but no matter how many times he opened his eyes the same feather clad pirate was still standing in the shadows, holding back the man who was threatening the beat the shit out of the young doctor.

There was something about being saved by the captain that made the boy feel… strange. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but being treated like an actual crew member or at least something with more value than an item just seemed weird. It was like the pirate was some over-grown child and whenever the man wanted something he would throw a fit until he had it.

Of course, every fit that Doflamingo had thrown ended up in the captain destroying someplace or stealing something so that theory was pretty sound. And as the kid thought about it the pirate had threatened him numerous times with bodily harm but had never gone through with it enough to break or gash anything on him. The only thing Doflamingo did that managed to leave the kid shaking in fear several times was psychological trauma. Of course that stuff's pretty powerful on its own but the fact that Doflamingo had, again, gone out of his way to pull Law from another situation he had run head-first into without much of a plan made the kid ponder everything that had happened for the past five years; about his life on the ship, the psychotic captain's true intensions and where exactly he should place his trust.

But his thoughts were interrupted as Doflamingo came through the trees with a wicked smile on his face and fingers poised as he controlled the mountain bandit with his Devil Fruit abilities. A chuckle came from the man.

"Who the hell am I kidding?" The pirate asked before his expression turned even more grotesque and he flexed all of his fingers. "Pathetic scum like you doesn't deserve a second chance."

Law turned his attention back to the bandit as a cry of pain came from him before his eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground.

Dead, most likely.

The kid looked up to see the captain sauntering over to him, a slightly displeased look on his face. Law frowned but turned his attention away when he heard a sound near the cages. Ice enveloped the steel before a man in marine uniform smashed the locks and set the prisoners free. Kaku, Kalifa, and Fukuro headed over to Rob Lucci to see if he was alright while Bepo embraced Law, telling him how worried he was. The kid returned the hug and told his friend to stop fretting over everything when a few fingers were placed against his cheek and used to swivel his head to look straight. The boy was met with Doflamingo kneeling in front of him before a handkerchief was brought to his face and used to wipe away the blood and grime.

"You're such a pain." The captain commented in an annoyed tone. Law just stayed silent as the cloth was roughly wiped over his skin until the pirate considered the job done and pocketed the rag.

"Get up, brat. We're leaving" Doflamingo said over his shoulder as he turned and began walking away. Law did as he was told and got to his feet, following soon after with Bepo in tow. After a few steps the boy stopped and turned before waving goodbye to the others who also returned the farewell. Law spun back around and jogged to catch up with the pirate captain, following him as they headed back to the ship.

~0~

AN: has anyone read my profile? if you have, remember how i said i start a bunch of stories but eventually forget about/ignore some and continue to start more, only paying attention to a few?  
this is a prime example. xD lol, i have not given up yet so there will be more chapters for Back Story

and does anyone remember Remus from chapter 15? well, he's back but in a different fanfic. read my new fic "Domino Effect" to find out more :D


	19. Quicksand

"Well isn't this just fucking fantastic."

"What? You're blaming me? !"

"What other dip-shit could get us into this mess, dumbass!"

"It was your fault for not even considering anything before running off!"

"And it was your damned fault for not watching where you stepped!"

"I was trying to break you out of prison!"

"And what wonderful progress you've make. I'd applaud you properly if I wasn't fucking handcuffed!"

The thirteen-year-old doctor and pirate captain glared daggers at each other, internally wondering how satisfying it would be to rip each other's heads off. But it seemed the gravitation of the situation they had quickly barreled themselves into hadn't quite sunken in yet. Unless, of course, you considered things from a literal stand point. If so then Doflamingo and Law were definitely sinking, fast. But of course those two ignored the slimy sensation of quicksand slowly engulfing them just above their hips and continued their argument.

"I should have just let you rot there!"

"Like I give a damn! Fucking brat, you should have stayed on the goddamned ship!"

"Not like I had a choice, the whole crew was abducted and I can't get them back myself!"

The island they were currently stopped at was thought to be uninhabited at first glance and after careful observation was deemed anything but. It seemed the arrival of the pirates had greatly angered the locals and now the crazy tribesmen were hell-bent on killing every single one of the intruders.

"Well, why don't you pull the rest of this marvelous escape plan out of your ass already!"

"Why do I have to everything? I already sprung you from prison! You do something for a change!"

Doflamingo growled and balled his fists until they were shaking from the pressure, his wrists bulging against the sea-stone cuffs he was currently bound in. Law could sense the anger emanating from the pirate captain before seeing his white knuckles, but chose to ignore it as he continued glaring at the man. Suddenly, the muck that was slowly pulling the teen under its surface increased its speed, immersing him at a much more rapid pace. Law began to panic a bit as the mud proceeded to crawl over his chest.

"Anytime now!" The teen called out, hoping some sort of tree branch or vine would miraculously reach down to his arms which were raised above him. The sludge drew dangerously close to Law's ears, having already enveloped his shoulders in the goo. He heard a muffled curse and looked over to see Doflamingo was still mostly above the quicksand. But the teen was soon forced to look away once more, closing his eyes and inhaling a large breath before the sludge crawled over the rest of his features. He didn't dare open his eyes as the squishy muck drew him further under its surface, completely victorious as he felt his arms continuing to be engulfed above him.

Suddenly, an iron grip latched around the teen's arm and he was hauled violently from underneath the quicksand before being launched into the air. Law was only given a moment to assess his situation before he felt something brush against his hand. The teen quickly grabbed it and dangled from the air, hanging desperately onto the vine as to not fall back to his death.

Law looked down when he noticed the lack of insults being thrown his way and saw a pair of cuffed hands sticking out from sludge beneath him. The teen cocked an eyebrow and reflected on how easy it would be to just let the maniacal captain suffocate right then and there. The thought brought a smile to his face before he realized the only way to get off the island was to rescue the crew from the homicidal natives which required someone stronger than himself to get the job done.

Law cursed under his breath before entangling his legs in the vine in order to hang upside down and reach a hand out. He grabbed the chain of the sea-stone cuffs tightly before pulling up with all of his might, successfully extracting a nearly drowned Doflamingo from the pool of sludge.

"Took you fucking long enough." The captain stated and Law had to fight to stop himself from purposely dropping the man back into the quicksand


	20. Quicksand Part 2

For the longest of time, Law had wanted to be just as tall as or maybe even taller than Doflamingo for the sheer pleasure of finally being able to look eye to eye with the bastard or even look down on him. Of course, it wasn't much more than a passing thought to feed his revenge complex since the eccentric captain was over ten feet in height, a far stretch for the teenager or any other normal person in this world. Law figured at the rate he was growing he'd hit six feet within two years and begin to slow down after that, no where near the pirate which was a let-down but much more practical than having to duck through just about every doorway. But then again, being just over five and a half feet also had its impracticalities and Law was currently experiencing them to the full extent at the moment.

The young doctor bolted through the island forest, vaulting himself over felled trees, leaping down short overhangs and crashing through foliage in order to escape the men chasing him. Just a short while ago, he and Doflamingo managed to infiltrate the natives' village with the captain still handcuffed in Sea Stone, looking for the captured crew along with keys to Doflamingo's bindings. It had been relatively easy to find everything they needed on their mission but they were unfortunately spotted and cornered before accomplishing anything other than the locations of what they were after. The two had been held at spear point, neither able to do anything helpful for fear of being impaled. But of course neither was willing to give up.

Doflamingo made the first move, drawing attention to himself before shouting for the teenager to make a run for it. At first, Law thought the demented captain had finally grown at heart during this harrowing situation but soon came to realize when he noticed half of the village's warriors were chasing him down that he was nothing more than bait to thin the numbers for the pirate.

_That conniving dick._

Law dashed as fast as he could, clawing his way through the leaves and vines while cursing his awkward growth spurts over the past few months that left him unaccustomed to his longer legs. Not to mention somewhere along this chase he had lost his favorite hat which only served to worsen his day. He continued to stumble ungracefully along the forest ground, ducking arrows and avoiding spears flying at him until a hiccup arose.

The young doctor's foot suddenly caught on a raised tree root, causing him to call out in surprise before taking a nose-dive into some shrubbery. But with the momentum he had been traveling at, Law wasn't just thrown to the floor with the aid of gravity; he was sent somersaulting down a slightly declining hill until finally coming to a rest under a tree. The teen brought a hand to his head, waiting for his vision to stop spinning as he attempted to sit up. The sounds of angry men coming crashing after him could be heard which caused Law to panic a bit, remembering that he was in a life or death situation and needed to be on the move. Before he had a chance to completely orient himself, he jumped to his feet only to collapse shortly after.

The doctor grimaced in pain, feeling a stabbing sensation in his ankle as if it were broken.

_Fantastic._

Law glanced around; looking for some place to hide only to realize the single thing closest enough to him was the tree in front of him. He crawled to the other side of it, for once thankful to have his skinny frame since it wasn't a very wide trunk. The shouts grew louder as Law imagined the men were drawing nearer and (hopefully) about to go racing by his poor hiding spot. He closed his eyes and remained perfectly still, praying to any higher power who was listening at the moment that he wouldn't be spotted. The war cries quickly approached the teen before they started sprinting right by the tree; footsteps trampled across the floor as the angry natives whizzed past the teenager who was quietly pleading for them not to notice him.

Silence fell over the scene and Law dared to open an eye, carefully glancing around until he was sure no one was there. The young doctor stared incredulously, unable to comprehend how that terrible plan had actually worked. Now all he had to do was find a way back to the ship…

But of course, Law had spoken too soon. The doctor blanched as he noticed two unfamiliar men staring at him through a few bushes with surprised expressions, causing him to wish there was some way for him to teleport himself halfway across the world. Unfortunately there wasn't and as soon as the men realized their group had been duped they called out to their fellow tribesmen to turn around and come get the prey.

Law attempted to get up once more only to crumple back to where he had been sitting with a pained expression. If walking wasn't going to work, then maybe crawling.

The doctor began pulling himself backwards as fast as his arms could take him, but his actions were for naught. The men charged, aiming their weapons and preparing themselves for their victory against the skinny, crippled thirteen-year-old.

Law collapsed and turned away, unable to watch as he prepared for the worst. But after a few moments of bracing for the pain he realized there wasn't a plethora of spears sticking through his chest and dared to look up. To his disbelief, the young doctor was staring at the back of one of the men from Doflamingo's crew as more began rushing around the sides of his vision. Battle cries erupted from both sides of this confrontation as the pirates began cutting down their adversaries. Law was speechless while he watched, wondering how on Earth he had been found and most importantly why had he been found?

The native men dropped one after another, no longer able to draw the pirates into the clever traps they had used to first capture them and losing to the more advanced weapons of the sea fairing men. Law was still in shock, sitting in one spot as if he were deaf and dumb. But before he had a chance to ask one of the men what was going on another battle cry sounded off to his side. The teenager shot his vision to the noise and cringed when he saw another indigenous man coming for him. Law was about to glance around in hopes to find something to defend himself with when the enemy charging for him was suddenly run through by another one of Doflamingo's pirates.

"Come any closer to the kid and you'll suffer something worse than death." The pirate said menacingly before drawing his sword from the native's abdomen and watching as he collapsed; dead before he even hit the ground. The teen blinked several times as he tried to comprehend the situation.

"Looks like the squirt gets to live another day." Another pirate stated with a laugh. Law recognized the first speaker as Bardot, the crew's best swordsman and the second speaker as Alexander, the shipwright. He raised an eyebrow but was, yet again, unable to inquire about what was going on when he was suddenly grabbed by his upper arms and lifted to his feet. Law balanced on his good ankle for a moment before flailing his hands out in order to find anything to hold onto. Two men came, one on either side of him, to steady the doctor before he fell on his ass again.

"Get the hell off of me; I can stand on my own!" Law called out as he attempted to shove the men away but to no avail. They held on steadfastly, chuckling as they secured his arms from moving.

"Now that our little doctor isn't able to move he's actually pretty helpless."

"Seems to me Law isn't as big and mighty as he lets on to be."

"It's cute how defiant he's being."

Law recognized all of the voices, vowing to disembowel them at the next chance he got. Unfortunately, the gestures and familiarities didn't end there. The teenager ducked his head as each of the pirates seemed to be taking their turns messing up his hair or clapping him on the shoulder.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? ! Stop it!" He called out, attempting once more to move his arms so he could swat the hands away.

"Come on, can't your crewmates worry about you? I mean, what would we do without our doctor and favorite pass time?"

"Believe it or not but some of us actually want you to stay on the ship not just for your skills."

"It'd be a helluva lot more boring without you."

Law gave up, waiting impatiently for the noogies and ruffling of his hair to stop.

"Geez, quit being such a sourpuss. Cheer up a little!" One of the men joked which caused the teen to narrow his eyes.

"You seem to forget why I'm even on your ship. And no, we are not crewmates. We never have been and never will be. I haven't succumbed to Stockholm syndrome yet nor do I plan on it." Law stated finally, wishing to drop the subject and just get the hell off this island before something else went wrong. But instead of the group quickly making their way to the shore, another pirate spoke up.

"And you seem to forget that we're pirates. Sure, we went about things the wrong way when we first met but since you've patched up every guy on this ship good as new with more skills than the big city surgeons we can't just let that go. Whether you like it or not, you're part of this crew since the majority of us owe you our lives."

Law frowned at the man, Veasel, but said nothing in return. The pirate just chuckled before ordering the men holding the teen up to do something. Law found himself being lifted into the air only to be seated on the man's back with Veasel's arms tucking beneath him for support.

"Put me down, I can walk on my own!" The doctor stated indignantly as he began struggling to get free. However, he couldn't move very purposefully since the throbbing in his ankle kept denying him the chance.

"Yeah, of course. Then you'll skip merrily along the beach before happily boarding the ship." A few men chuckled at the pirate's retort but Law was unamused.

"Not to mention it's either this or carrying you in my arms like the whiny princess you're being."

The comment caused the young doctor's cheeks to flush out of embarrassment and anger as several men laughed heartily. Law wanted to retort something but realized he was truly at a disadvantage and hated to admit that he really did need help in order to move. The teenager mumbled something about bothersome pirates but settled down from his poorly executed escape plan.

Just as Law was perfectly complacent and ready to get a move on, something very familiar was jammed onto his head and over his eyes. The teen pushed it up, recognizing the object to be his hat and glancing over at who returned it.

"A touching reunion indeed, but how about we get a move on back to the ship?"

Law glowered at who it was, absolutely irate that Doflamingo was still healthy and in one piece. The captain just laughed at his expression, turning away and leading the way back to the shore.

~0~

"Dammit! I'm the friggen doctor of this whole godforsaken ship, I can do this on my own!" Law called out as he tried to reason for the third time how much more competent he was at fixing a broken ankle than an unskilled pirate.

"And I told you to shut up and accept my help you ungrateful little shit. Now sit there and quit acting like a pampered princess!" Veasel retorted as he finally managed to remove the teenager's shoe. Law grunted from the last bit of pain, clenching his hands tightly as he tried to focus on something else. After that came his sock before the pirate carefully rolled up his pants leg.

"Okay, now what?" Veasel asked as he awaited further instruction.

"Now you get out of my room so I can do this myself."

"Not going to happen." Bardot replied off to the teen's side as he and Alexander came back from the medic attachment connected to Law's bedroom. The doctor sighed bitterly, frustrated at the pirates' stubbornness.

"I've fixed up plenty of broken bones and the such before during my job so this'll be no problem." Alexander stated as he dumped several roles of bandages, a box of syringes labeled C13H16ClNO and a wooden spoon onto the bed. The doctor skeptically raised his eyebrows at the second item.

"You plan on putting a horse under or something? Why did you pull out my entire supply of Ketamine?" He asked as he also severely questioned why he didn't keep a gun under his pillow.

"That's what that is? It was in a drawer labeled 'anesthesia' so I grabbed it." Alexander replied as he began attempting to open the box.

"Don't even think about it you moron. I trust you guys with my drugs about as much as I trust you with my life." Law grumbled as he motioned for the pirate to hand him the container. Alexander frowned but obliged.

"You have some serious trust issues then." Veasel stated as he examined the teen's ankle. Law bit back a nasty retort, too tired with the fact that he already had to deal with these morons longer than he would have liked and didn't want to stir anything up that may lead to a longer discussion.

"Alright then, Alex. Work your magic." Bardot announced as he jammed the handle of the wooden spoon long-ways between the doctor's teeth. Before he had a chance to protest, Alexander began wrapping his broken ankle while Veasel and Bardot held the teen down. Law expected the pain to be excruciating during the bandaging since these men were highly inexperienced in anything to do with medicine, but surprising enough the doctor could hardly feel anything. Silence passed between the four as they all watched Alexander work, quickly and delicately wrapping up the injury. When he finished he spoke.

"I couldn't find any plaster. You wouldn't mind telling me where that's at, would you?"

Law glanced up at Veasel who took the spoon from his mouth.

"Top shelf in the first cabinet by the door." The doctor replied. The three men glanced at each other briefly but none of them mentioned how unproblematic the teen suddenly was. Bardot left to go and find it along with an empty bucket and another filled with water.

Law laid in his bed as he listened to the sound of rummaging and water running in the other room. He would never admit it out loud and no matter how much he wanted to deny it, the truth was simple. Without these three, working on himself to get this job done would have taken a lot more effort and would've been many times more painful. Even if he had Bepo working with him, Law came to the conclusion that this was the least agonizing route to take and the thought revolted him.

~0~

AN: quick! ! take more pictures! an update has arrived!

Definition note: Stockholm syndrome is where a kidnapped victim begins to sympathize with their kidnapper  
and Ketamine is literally just an anesthesia used mainly on animals (apparently people use it recreationally too O_o)


End file.
